Blame It on the Changes
by sunsingergirl
Summary: Kagome and Shippo start their own life in her modern time after the final battle and everyone else has passed. What can Kagome do when the police take her Shippo away? Call up the law offices of Taisho and Ookami, of course! Then some familiar faces (and personalities) start popping up everywhere, as well as a gruff human with plenty of problems of his own...
1. Prologue

**Blame It on the Changes.**

Prologue:

I used to be a good little girl.

When I lived in the Sunset Shrine as a teenager, with my family, I was your classic, good, little, Japanese girl.

When I turned fifteen, I got myself yanked through the old well on our property, and I landed some 500 years in the past… All because Buyo, the family cat, decided to run rampant in Grampa's super-secret well house.

Stupid cat

Once there, I went on the adventure of a lifetime.

I made friends with Miroku, Sango, Kaede, and Shippo.

I met very important (and very strange) people, like Sesshomaru, Kikyo, Rin, Jaken, and a number of others.

I learned how to maintain friendly relations with guys who were totally in love with me, but in whom I held no interest (Kouga and Hojo, in case you were wondering).

I helped people, human and demon alike, that needed me.

I met the love of my life…

Inuyasha.

Then, when I was twenty years old, I learned that the world is NOT all sunshine and roses. It took us ALL to bring Naraku down. Ginta and Hakkaku didn't make it. It was horrible, seeing their broken bodies lying on the battlefield… but we fought on, even Kouga.

Jaken was dismembered; Sesshomaru barely made it to Rin in time. The poor girl was probably traumatized for the rest of her life. Miroku, at one point pretty far into the battle, succumbed to the poison of Naraku's insects; he fell to his knees and smiled at me when I tried to help him back to his feet. He just… smiled… while I got on my knees, laying him down slowly and begging him to get back up, to keep going. He was too far gone to even grope me as I leaned over him, sobbing.

Sango fell in that final battle as well. I'm not even sure that she realized that Miroku was gone. She fought her best in that last battle, and I know she had no regrets as she was beheaded gruesomely in battle, a true warrior's death.

I wasn't paying attention to much else as Kikyo and I tried to pull ourselves together enough to help Inuyasha finish Naraku off. We stood side by side as we strung our bows and released an unimaginable amount of spiritual energy into our arrows. Both of them hit their mark perfectly, and Inuyasha followed up with the Wind Scar.

Naraku was completely and totally annihilated.

When he was gone at last, we found the missing pieces of the Jewel where the villainous hanyou had been. He had been so close, and it had made him so powerful… I remember standing there a moment, staring down at the nearly completed Jewel and wondering how on Earth we had managed to defeat him when he become so powerful. I turned as I purified the damned thing, smiling as I watched Inuyasha make his way to me. He smiled brightly back, using the Tetsusaiga for support.

Then I gasped in horror as he, too, fell.

I remember breathing heavily, panting, as I stumbled across the meadow. I was panicked, frantic even, and I shudder to this day when I imagine that sight. The grass was sticky with dew and blood as the bright, bright sun came up over the horizon. I fought back the bile that was rising up in my throat, but I lost it when I got closer, turning to the side and vomiting till I had nothing left in me.

I wiped my mouth and my runny nose as I looked him over. His eyes were open and glazed over with death; he had fallen on his back, his form sprawled. Tetsusaiga was still sticking up out of the ground beside him. His silver hair had been chopped off in some places, and while in others it looked as though it was ripped from his skull. The deep red, red blood was still slowly seeping out of a huge, nasty gash in his side, puddling beneath him.

Surely the grass would never grow here again.

He wasn't breathing anymore. I could barely make out the gold of his gorgeous irises; the black pupils had already spread, and I didn't need to check for a pulse.

Inuyasha was dead.

Miroku was dead.

Sango was dead.

Ginta, Hakkaku, and Jaken were dead.

On the inside, I was dead.


	2. Chapter One

**Blame It on the Changes.**

Chapter One:

"Gome, wake up."

Kagome opened her eyes and gave herself a couple of moments to let them adjust to the darkness. Eri sat on her bed, by her side, her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. She looked concerned… and tired. "You look like hell," Kagome told her in a raspy, early-morning voice. She must've just gotten in, Kagome thought as she took in the other girl's appearance, sitting up a little. Eri was still scantily clad in whatever formfitting, revealing outfit she had worn to work tonight. Her hair was still teased and curly and big, and she was even still wearing her makeup, bright blue eyeshadow included.

"You were yelling for him in your sleep as I was coming in the front door," she let Kagome know, standing.

Kagome twisted in the bed and looked down at her friend's feet – bare. She'd already ditched the stilettos, probably close to the front door.

Kagome couldn't blame her; those things were torture devices that were more than likely made my men. Selfish, selfish men.

Eri held her face in her hands, sighing in exhaustion, as Kagome sat up. The dream was so vivid; even three years later, she could still remember that morning… like it was yesterday.

When Kagome was sixteen years old and came upon Inuyasha, dead in that meadow, she had just about lost her mind with grief. Kouga had no idea what to do with her after he ripped her away from Inuyasha's lifeless body. She sobbed and screamed and fought against him, nearly purifying Kouga, but he got her back to the village, back to Kaede, who just held her until she quieted. She didn't stick around to see her friends buried. Somehow, the well allowed Shippo through with her, into the modern world. Kagome held onto the poor, little kitsune boy fiercely after that day; she'd lost so much already – a sister, a brother… a lover. Shippo was like a son to her, and she was like a mother to him. It was right, the two of them being together.

Once Shippo and Kagome had gotten settled in with Mama Higurashi, Souta, and Jii-chan, she waited one night until her little kitsune was fast asleep before recombining her little Jewel shards with the nearly completed portion she'd taken from Naraku upon his defeat. Kohaku had been among the various casualties of the final battle, so she had made sure to purify his shard and reconnect it with Naraku's part of the Jewel. Before she and Shippo left, Kouga had made sure to give his pieces to Kagome as well.

She lay in her bed, her small body curled almost helplessly around Shippo's sleeping form, and she cried again. Clutching the completed and purified Jewel in her small hand, Kagome sobbed as she thought of her fallen friends, making silent wishes to trade the damned Jewel in her hand for their lives back. Shippo woke and laid one tiny, clawed hand on her cheek. His bright, normally mischievous green eyes watched Kagome with undue sympathy, and she'd never forget what he whispered to her right then:

"Don't cry anymore, Mama. Papa wouldn't want you to cry anymore."

She sobbed harder at that, hugging Shippo tighter. That's who she and Inuyasha had become to him: Mama and Papa.

Now he was missing his papa… again.

As Kagome held her boy in her arms, crying herself to sleep, she murmured, "I wish I could have you back, Inuyasha. I wish you could come back to us."

When Kagome and Shippo woke in the morning, the Jewel was gone.

Kagome sighed, rubbing her eyes, and Eri left the room. She got up, readjusting herself to the present day and shaking the dark memories and vivid nightmares from her head. Making her way down the hall to the bathroom for a little midnight call of nature, Kagome stopped in Shippo's doorway. He was snoring soundly. She smirked and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

They had only stayed at the shrine a couple of months before moving to a Tokyo apartment with Eri. She had gotten pregnant and the father left; she'd told her parents, and, dishonored, they'd kicked her out. She dropped out of college and found a job at a small strip club. Kagome couldn't go to college at all; her family just didn't have the money to send her and Souta, and Kagome had spent so much of her time traveling back and forth through the well that her grades had been ruined and she hadn't been able to finish school at all. She'd told Mama to save up and just send Souta; she could support herself and Shippo on her own. It was nice to have Eri there to help, though.

Eri lost her baby when she was just four months along; the father had come around for some reason or another, and they argued, as always. Eri "fell" down the stairs. The result was obvious.

Now it was just the three of them, living in a small, two-bedroom, one-bath place smack in the middle of Tokyo. Eri and Kagome shared one of the bedrooms so that Shippo could have his own room. The miko had told Eri what had happened in the shrine and in the Warring States era when the girls had moved in together at sixteen. She helped her friend and Shippo out a lot after Inuyasha died.

After her trip to the bathroom, Kagome shuffled back to her room in the dark. Eri was exiting the bedroom wrapped in a gnarly yellow towel, and she was carrying a giant, hot pink night shirt in the crook of her right arm. She flashed her roommate a tired smile before the girl disappeared into the bedroom. Kagome practically dove into the bed, hiding herself under the covers and relishing the warmth. She fell back asleep quickly; she didn't even hear Eri come back into the bedroom after her shower.

The alarm woke Kagome around dawn, and she trudged into Shippo's room to get him up for school. He had grown somewhat in the last three years; he looked much like a human eight-year-old would these day. He grumbled as she urged him gently out of the bed; three years spent in the lazy modern time had made him forget his and Inuyasha's habit of getting up every morning with the sun. Running her thin fingers through his shaggy, thick, fire-red hair, Kagome mused in her head about when to schedule him an appointment to get his hair cut; it was getting way too long again. And we just got it cute… she sat there, thinking.

He batted her hand away with his small fist, growling at her a little. "K'gome! Let me get dressed, Mama!" She smiled down at him and walked out his bedroom to give him a little privacy. Eri was still snoring away in her twin bed, which was positioned directly across the small bedroom from Kagome's. Still smiling, the miko snuck back into the bedroom and grabbed a clean, bright blue towel from the pile in the laundry basket. She popped her head into Shippo's room just to check on him; he was pulling on a pair of blue jeans. She decided to jump in the shower for a quickie before walking Shippo to school.

Once she was out, smelling like strawberries and creams, grapefruit, oranges, and mangoes, she checked up on her son before she went to her own bedroom to get dressed. He looked so adorable, pulling a green and white striped polo shirt on over his head, his fluffy, reddish hair sticking right up through the neckhole.

Stifling a giggle that she knew would surely offend him, Kagome dashed into the other bedroom, shutting the door quietly and ignoring Eri's loud, constant snoring. She yanked on a pair of tall, black bootcut jeans and a white tanktop with pink sakura blossoms painted falling across the front of it. She brushed her curly black hair and gathered it into a high, bouncy ponytail. Padding quietly around the small bedroom, it took Kagome just a minute to find her favorite pair of black boots. She put them on over a pair of white socks before making her way down the hall to Shippo's closed bedroom door. She knocked before entering this time and walked in on the boy sitting on the side of his twin storage bed, putting on socks and white and navy blue Nike sneakers.

"You ready for school?" Kagome asked him, plopping down on the small bed beside him; the springs creaked beneath her added weight. She smiled at him, brushing his thick mane out of his face.

"Mama, why are you always touching my hair?" he asked, pushing her hand away once more. Kagome sighed, putting her arm around his shoulders, pulling him flush against her and hugging him close. He settled very nicely into the fold of her arms, and she crushed him to her, suddenly very afraid of losing him as well.

Shippo shifted somewhat in her arms, and Kagome could tell that he was a little uncomfortable. She released him quickly; the miko didn't want to smother her boy.

He turned his head and looked up at her, smiling gently as he said in a small voice, "We're all right, Kagome." Then he looked at the clock behind her and jumped to his feet. "Mama! It's time for school!"

Kagome turned and saw that he was right. Together, they hurried out of the rundown apartment, Shippo nearly forgetting his bookbag and Kagome nearly forgetting to lock the front door.

She and Eri couldn't afford to send him to a nice private school like they'd gone to, but they lived near a very good public school, in a very good, clean neighborhood. It wasn't the best education in Japan, but it wasn't bad either. Besides, Shippo'd already made friends there, a couple of boys named Ryouka and Ken'ichi. They were good boys and good friends for the boy. As Kagome and Shippo walked side by side down the sidewalk, they talked about what they were going to go do the next weekend. Shippo wanted to invite Ken'ichi over to stay the night. Kagome told him that she'd have to call up Ken'ichi's mom before she left for work that night.

The school was about two blocks from the apartment; it was a fairly long walk. They talked about what Kagome and Eri were going to make for dinner that evening. Both women heading to work that night, so they would need to call the babysitter to confirm. She was a very nice young girl named Sachi, and Shippo absolutely adored her. He looked eight years old, but he was, in fact, ten; he was reaching adolescence, and Kagome just knew that he would start to look at girls in that certain way very soon.

She sighed silently when that thought crossed her mind. Shippo was still going on about what he wanted to eat that night. She shoved her hands into her pockets and weaved a little on the sidewalk. Shippo watched her with his bright, inquisitive eyes, smiling faintly at his mother's antics as he joined in. As Kagome watched her son follow in her deranged footsteps, she knew, with absolutely no uncertainty, that the birds and the bees talk was fastly approaching.

A few minutes later, they entered the school; Kagome left Shippo in the very capable hands of his teacher, Yamasaki-sensei, and headed back to the apartment alone.


	3. Chapter Two

**Blame It on the Changes.**

_Chapter Two:_

His entire body ached as he came to. 'Something's off,' he thought. He was cold, incredibly cold, and it was pitch-black. He wanted to groan, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he realized that he was surrounded only by dirt. Stinking, rotten dirt. Dammit all, how the fuck had he gotten himself into this mess? How did he always get himself into these damned messes?

He tried desperately to yell, to scream, to cry out her name – "KAGOME!"

Nothing could come out. Nothing could penetrate the thick, cold ground that had been piled around him.

As his lungs began to burn with the aching need for fresh air, he shoved his claws savagely through the dirt, shoving it out of his way. Slowly –agonizingly – he dug his way back to the surface. Once he realized that he wasn't buried alive any longer, he gulped in deep breath after deep breath before letting out a shrill, almost violent call:

"KAGOME! KA-GO-ME! Where are you, KAGOME?!"

He broke down, remembering the look on her face the last time he saw her. That smile… That wonderful smile…

He remembered dying.

He leaned over, his legs still trapped beneath the turned dirt, and he sobbed, terrified of what had happened after his demise.

"Kagome…" he whimpered.

"Inuyasha?"

His head shot up, tear-filled eyes expectant, hopeful…

Kaede stared down at him in complete and utter shock. "Ye still live?"

He blinked the tears away, relief flooding through him. "Yea, Baba, I am. Help me outta this grave, will ya? Living people don't belong in these fuckers…"

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

The strobes were especially bright as they flashed around the girls. Eri was to Kagome's left, and they were coming right into the front doors of the club. Aimi was busy working the bar on the other side of the place, and they could see her twin, Airi, peeking out from behind the curtains, backstage. They were good girls, both with long, sleek, black hair and the prettiest brownish green eyes. That's why they both worked there; Airi got great tips in her G-string, and Aimi received amazing tips at the bar. They really were quite the pair – tall, lean, with a hint of muscle. They used to strip together, but Aimi got tired of shedding her clothes for the enjoyment of the male sex.

Eri and Kagome still had no problem with it. The way they looked at it, all they had to do was squeeze their bare tits together and shake their asses to pay the rent.

They had started off years ago with an act stripping together; it made them more comfortable when they first came in to do the "dishonorable" job.

By that point, obviously, they were used to it.

Eri took to the stage, and Kagome made her way to the VIP room in the back. She heard whooping and scattered cheering and just knew that Eri was already swinging around that pole. She was a daredevil, always had been; while Kagome still had her furious blush and nude hang-ups, her best friend was always coming up with newer and scantier ideas.

Kagome only did topless; she peeled off her shimmery top and jeans as soon as she was in the VIP room door, but she left on her hot pink panties. A young guy sat in one of the far back corners; she made her way to him, her black stilettos clacking loudly against the clean, red tile floor. He was a usual, but Kagome never could remember his name. He was foreign, that was all she knew – and he was rich. She smiled as she reached him. He always left huge tips.

He had dark hair that was cut short and amethyst eyes; he was of average build, average height, and he wore above-average quality clothes. The man also had a very thick, very strange accent. His Japanese was flawless, though anyone could tell he was definitely not American. He'd been coming to this damnable place at least since Kagome started; hell, Eri even remembered him coming in for kickass lap dances when she first got hired on.

Kagome's hips swayed as she came to stand right in front of the foreign lecher, wearing nothing but her stilettos and hot pink cheek-baring panties. She ran her hands along her taut tummy and brought them up to cup her breasts. Her thumbs felt rough against her hardened nipples – it was always chilly in the VIP room – but her hands felt so smooth. That was always surprising; she'd expected that the years she had spent fighting youkai and ningen alike in the Sengoku Jidai would've demolished the skin on her palms.

His eyes lit up, but his expression remained passive, emotionless even. Kagome smirked just a bit, slightly amused by his lack of reaction.

"So," she started in her soft tone, raising her voice just high enough so that she could be heard over the loud hip-hop music that was blaring from the main part of the strip joint, "you're not from the islands, are you?"

He smiled finally, his dark eyes flicking upward to meet hers for just a moment before returning to watch her nearly naked body twist and contort to the fast-paced music.

"You know that I'm not, Suzume-sama," he replied very politely, using Kagome's stage name for privacy's sake. He leaned back in his chair and tucked his hands behind his head. He was obviously getting comfortable, which made her wonder if he was more excited about the stripping part or the idea of having a conversation with a really hot, mostly nude onna dancing in front of him.

She smiled prettily at him, batting her eyes just a bit. She raised her hands above her head and turned smoothly, shaking her ass gently but enthusiastically as she did. "You're very polite, sir," she told him, making a complete spin and smirking at him over her shoulder a moment before turning to look at the door, her hips never pausing.

He snickered quietly, watching her with a very intense look in his eyes. "The name's Channing, Suzume-sama. Channing Chase."

Suddenly, Kagome found his arm extended and felt his fingertips graze her hip. Startled, she jumped away out of reflex, and her heels slid on the tile. Her left hip collided first with the hard, cold, unforgiving floor as her entire body crashed downward in a heap. Kagome cried out sharply and grabbed her side. She glanced up at Channing; he still sat in his comfy seat, his arm still held out to the empty space that I'd been standing in, his face frozen in a shocked expression. She blinked, staring at him, and her cheeks burned their classic red as realization dawned: He was trying to shake my hand, as with a proper foreign introduction, she thought, feeling stupid immediately.

Kagome shook her head, chuckling at the stunned expression on his face. She was still worried about Miroku's wandering hands it seemed, thus the extreme reaction.

Aimi came running into the small VIP room right then, her pretty eyes wide with worry. They widened even more when they caught sight of Kagome lying on the hard floor and Channing looking as guilty as they come.

"What happened in here?" the bartender practically cried out, her voice shrill and tinged with anger. She shot Channing an angry, accusatory look. "Dr. Chase! You've been here plenty of times! You know our biggest rule: NEVER touch the girls!"

"B-But I didn't! I only meant to shake her hand! It – I-" The poor man was beside himself as Aimi came further into the room. He shot to his feet and helped her help Kagome back up to her shaky feet. The injured girl kicked off her heels with as little malice as she could manage and stared down at them hatefully. She hissed as Channing kneeled down on one knee and started poking and prodding her poor, already bruising leg.

"It might be fractured," he mumbled just loud enough for Aimi and Kagome to hear. "Help her get dressed; I'm taking her to the hospital to make sure."

"What the hell?" was Aimi's high-pitched response.

"Don't worry!" Channing shot back, getting back up to his feet and straightening himself. "I'm not going to try anything! I may be a pervert, but I try to be a good, honorable man."

"Like hell you're taking her anywhere!"

"Aimi! Channing!" Kagome interrupted, standing stiffly between them. "Chill out, you guys! I'll go to the damned hospital – I can take care of myself against one lousy perv." She shot a meaningful look at Aimi. "And you're footing the bill, mister!" she told Channing, turning to give him the dreaded Look.

He nodded nervously. "Of course, of course!"

'Poor guy,' Kagome thought as she hobbled alongside Aimi to reach the VIP room door and grab up her blue jeans and shiny, silver boatneck. She had to help the hurt girl pull the clothing on – and she also had to help defend her from Channing's wandering hands. Kagome sighed as the familiar feeling of fingertips grazing her skin and loud, echoing slapping sounds filled her senses once again, and she felt a strange sense of peace.

Now, if only there was something here to remind me of Inuyasha…

Kagome sat still for a moment after all the rest of the noises and sensations were drowned out. Nothing came. Nothing happened.

Eri met them at the front door of the joint, fully dressed and overflowing with worry. She sucker punched Channing in the chest; he wheezed for quite some time during their adventure through the parking lot. After helping Kagome into the backseat of his car, Channing held the passenger side front door open for Eri before getting into the driver's seat, starting the car and pulling out into the still-busy streets of Tokyo.


	4. Chapter Three

**Blame It On the Changes.**

_Chapter Three:_

"Ow!" I couldn't help wincing when Channing probed my injured leg. He was being as gentle as possible I knew, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Shooting him a glare, he had the grace to look apologetic – well, before Eri reared back and slapped him upside the head.

"Be nice, _hentai_!" she exclaimed, obviously not caring who heard by the way she ignored the red face of the nurse at Channing's side. I gave her an irritated look but said nothing.

"I _am_ being nice!"

"If you were being nice, we wouldn't have gotten to this point in the first place!"

"Me being nice _is_ what got us here in the first place!"

I rolled my eyes, trying to sit up on the exam table – and wincing as my leg protested quite painfully. Lying back down, I just grumbled that being nice would mean following the rules and _not_ trying to touch me while I'm working. Even Channing's ears turned red at that. Eri snickered quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest and regarded us both with an amused look. "Well? Can I take her home yet, doc?" She eyed the nurse still in the room warily. "We've got... responsibilities to get back to."

The car ride to the hospital had, somehow, not been awkward; Eri and Channing both immediately started bickering back and forth, leaving me to quietly contemplate things in the backseat. This seemed unbearably familiar, and it was as though I'd been around two that shouted and argued like this quite often... A rather strong woman and a perverted healer of sorts...

I had shaken my head at that. _No_, I thought, watching them continue to bicker as we entered the ER. _They couldn't be Miroku and Sango's reincarnations..._

But they could, couldn't they? Reincarnations weren't something of legend, as I well knew, being one myself.

I shook my head again as my mind went over the possibility once more. Even if Channing was a relatively new figure in my life, I had known Eri since we were together in grade school. She was one of my oldest friends, and I would have figured out by now if she was Sango brought back to life.

Then again...

I held my breath as I looked over at my oldest friend. 'That's not really how reincarnation works... is it?' I asked myself as they started bickering again. 'I'm not Kikyo brought back to life... We're similar in some ways, sure, but... We're completely different people, down deep inside.' Obviously there were some similarities between Miroku and Channing, and Sango and Eri, but... There were also some very apparent differences.

I'd need to keep my guard up and my suspicions to myself, just keep observing everything that was going on. 'What other things have I missed in this life while focusing on the past?'

"Kagome?"

"Mm?" My gaze shot in the direction of the good doctor. He and Eri had stopped arguing – 'Finally!' - and now they were both watching me expectantly.

Eri smirked. "Sensei-sama said it's just bruised, so we can go home now. It's not long until dawn breaks, and Shippo will need to get to school."

I nodded with a smile, happy to be leaving. Hospitals still made me feel nauseous and nervous. Eri helped me up, and together we walked past the Channing and his nurse attendant, leaving the emergency room. It would be a long bus ride home, but worth it to be leaving with a relatively clean bill of health.

The rest of the night went as it should have from the beginning: We got home, we showered, changed, got some shut-eye, and when it was time, I left Eri snoozing in the bedroom and got Shippo up and ready for school. The walk was filled with questions about girls and explanations for my sudden limp. I told him I tripped at my night job – which I'd never bothered to explain and sure as hell didn't now. Thankfully he'd never been curious enough to push. With a smile that was too relieved to be fake, I left him in the capable hands of his sensei once more and walked back home to get some more sleep before the rest of the day claimed me.

The days that followed were in something of a blur. Things continued on as normal, though we didn't see Dr. Chase at the club after what had happened. I wore flats for the rest of the week instead of the usual obnoxious heels to give myself a chance to continue working while my bruised hip recovered, and no one seemed to mind the change. 'Maybe I should keep wearing the flats to work for good?' I wondered, though it seemed unlikely to be allowed. Aimi and Airi were both much more attentive than usual, and Eri was obviously concerned but better at keeping it under wraps than the other two of my friends. The other girls at the club were thankfully oblivious to what had happened.

Then, at the beginning of the new week, when I had finished my daily errands and gone to get Shippo from school, everything came to a head. The day had started off as usual and gone on as if nothing was wrong, but as soon as I entered the classroom everything hit me like a whammy. There were two police officers standing with Shippo's sensei to one side, and another sensei – the school's headmaster, if I remembered correctly – just a few feet from them, talking with an older woman in a suit, one hand holding onto the strap of a briefcase against her shoulder. When I walked in, not seeing Shippo anywhere, the situation took an ominous tone.

"Ah – Miss Higurashi!" Shippo's sensei darted forward, leaving the cops where they stood and coming toward me. "I'm so sorry- They just came in and-"

"Where's Shippo?" I cut her off unapologetically, only one thing on my mind. I wanted my son, and I wanted to go home. I wanted everything to be all right...

'But it's not,' I thought as I took in everything.

"Good afternoon, Miss Higurashi." I stared at the suited woman as she stepped forward, holding out her hand expectantly. Instinctively, I took it in mine and shoot it gently, feeling numb on the inside as I started to gather what this was about. "My name is Yuki Tanaka. I'm a social worker."

"Okay," I murmured, the internal numbness slowly being permeated by irritation. "I'd say I'm pleased to meet you, but I try not to lie."

Ms. Tanaka cracked an amused smile at that. "That's good, Miss Higurashi."

After another moment, she released my hand, and I let it fall to my side before crossing both arms over my chest. "So where's my son?"

"Are you referring to Shippo Higurashi?" she asked, quirking an interested eyebrow. I nodded, and she smiled pityingly. "We've taken him into custody."

The head popped at those words, and my world came crashing down. I was no longer numb or irritated; I was sick to my stomach. And angry. So very angry. "What gives you the right-"

"We received a call from a concerned citizen regarding your... lifestyle," the social worker interrupted, very obviously looking me up and down with not very well disguised disgust. I paled visibly, in shock and shame, my eyes darting from the social worker to Shippo's sensei and the headmaster. Both seemed just as surprised as I was, so I knew it hadn't been either of them.

Then the nurse from the hospital flashed in my mind, and I racked my brain trying to remember what Eri and I had said... I closed my eyes in defeat when I realized she'd mentioned Shippo by name.

'This isn't her fault,' I told myself, knowing it was true. I stepped back from the social worker, shaking my head. "We do what we can..." I mumbled, looking at the cops, who hadn't moved from the corner of the room. I knew my face was flushed from the heat, but it didn't keep me from meeting the social worker's eyes again. "How long?"

She tilted her head, watching me. "However long it takes for you to get things in order," was her response. Not what I wanted to hear, but definitely not unexpected. She pulled a binder from her briefcase, then pulled a few papers from the briefcase. "He'll be placed in foster care until we can complete the investigation. These are the requirements for getting your son back." She reached forward and handed me the papers, still smiling sweetly. "We'll also need to conduct several interviews and background checks, as well as home studies to make sure the requirements are being met and there are no other skeletons in your closet." I held my breath, trying not to make a facial expression at that last part.

"So I just need..." 'Deep breath, Kagome,' I told myself as I paused, taking my own advice to try to settle my nerves. "I just need a new job, a new home, and basically a new life." I gave her a strained smile, my irritation more than palpable, I was sure. "Sure, seems simple enough."

Her pleasant expression never changed. "I understand how you're feeling, Miss Higurashi, but please be aware. This is for Shippo's sake."

I closed my eyes and somehow bit back an annoyed groan. "I understand. But you can't expect me to enjoy it." Bowing my head, I turned toward the door.

"Oh!" Ms. Tanaka cried out, stepping forward again and touching me lightly on the shoulder. I tensed immediately at the unwanted contact. "We'll also need you to provide us with Shippo's papers. I'm afraid it seems the school lost their copies."

I stopped, trying hard not to pale or move or give myself away at all. Of course I knew the school never lost their copies of Shippo's papers; they'd never received them. I knew that because they'd never existed, since Shippo came from the past. I'd told the school I would bring them and they never once asked for them again. Thankfully though the headmaster had apparently covered for me and told them they were lost, instead of the truth – which is that I just plain didn't have them.

Instead, I took a deep breath and nodded sharply. "No problem," I mumbled, turning again. "I'll just have to get them. From my mother. She has them for safekeeping."

Ms. Tanaka's eyes twinkled with something I didn't understand, and she nodded in return. "Of course, Miss Higurashi. Please just bring them to the advocacy center when you can."

"Yes, ma'am." Trying not to hurry too much, I disappeared out the door before breaking off into a run for the street, clutching the papers she'd given me close to my body so they didn't blow away in the wind. I ran the entire way home, never stopping, never looking back, wiping my tears away with the back of one hand while I wrapped the other arm around myself and the papers, which were tight against my chest. As soon as I made it to the apartment building, I threw myself up the stairs, crashing through the front door of our apartment and, ignoring Eri's confused cries and questions, tossed the papers down on the coffee table and locked myself in Shippo's bedroom. Lying down on his bed and hugging his pillow close, I let myself break down in a way I hadn't in years.

Not since everything changed.

'It seems like every time I get used to what's happening around me, things have to go and change all over again.'


	5. Chapter Four

A/N: Wow, I'm seriously full of inspiration for this one lately! I meant to start updating in a certain order: Hero, then Blame, then One Night... But yeah, not happening. So here, enjoy!

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Blame It on the Changes.

Chapter Five:

Golden eyes met bright blue and held for what seemed to be the longest moment of Inuyasha's life. His nostrils flared in annoyance as the old hag he'd sought out repeated the words he wished he hadn't just heard.

"Do ye follow my meaning, Inuyasha?"

His fangs bared angrily. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. You're sure there ain't any other way?"

The old woman looked down at her wrinkled hands. "Aye. I'm sure."

It had been months since that fateful day when Kaede had dug him out of his premature grave and he found out that Kagome, assuming he was dead – with good reason, apparently – had left to return to her time with Shippo in tow. Ever since that fateful day, he had been trying to come up with a way to proceed. She was five hundred years in the future, and even though he was part demon and would live for a long time, he didn't think he'd live quite that long. Especially once word got out that he wasn't actually dead and didn't have his tachi to help him anymore.

He knew Kaede-baba had been racking her old brain too, and she'd at least come up with a plan that might actually work.

But could he do what she needed? Could he pay this price?

After a few moments' silence, he knew. He could do this.

For Kagome, he could do anything.

Finally, he nodded. "Okay, Kaede." He took a deep breath through his nose before meeting her eyes. "What do you need?"

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It took until after dark when my shift at the club was supposed to start before I calmed down enough to tell Eri what had happened. She had the night off, so we sat and talked about what we should do. She didn't understand why someone would do something like this to us, and I pointed out that some people didn't need a reason. We both made plans to start searching for new jobs the next day, and in time we would start searching for a new place to live. Maybe an actual house, in a better neighborhood, with a better school.

But we both knew it would take time, and that was time we had to spend away from Shippo. My heart clenched and my stomach hurt at the thought of him, alone and scared, with people he didn't know who didn't know him. Not the way I did anyway. He'd have to remain under constant illusion, sleeping outside of our little home. Only around myself, Eri, and my family was Shippo comfortable enough to leave his illusion down and walk around in his usual form. He would be exhausted all the time, my sweet boy... The only thing I had left of the Feudal Era...

Of my time with Inuyasha...

I slept in Shippo's bed that night, trying not to let myself drown anymore in despair. I needed to be strong. Like the old days.

But I sure didn't feel so strong anymore...

The next day, I got up early, despite barely sleeping the night before. I was determined to hurry up and get my boy back. After showering and brushing my teeth and hair, I dressed myself as professionally as I could – a fluttery salmon top with short sleeves tucked into black slacks with black flats. I tied my hair back in a high ponytail and hurried to the door.

As soon as it opened though, I was surprised to see something small and thin flutter to the floor just outside the doorframe. Halting before I could accidentally step on it, I stooped down to pick it up, looking over it curiously.

It was a small, thin, rectangular card, a textured off-white color with simple black kanji printed on one side:

**TAISHO & OOKAMI**

**Law Offices**

(447)910-3219

5001 Central Tokyo Drive

I blinked a few times, my nose scrunching and my brow furrowing. 'What the heck...' I wondered, flipping it over and checking out the back. I gasped when I read what was written there: **Give them a call. They can help you get back your boy from the past.**

Startled by the words, my head jerked back up to look up and down the hall, but it was empty save for myself. I could barely breathe as I stood there, staring down at the business card pinched between my thumb and index finger. Blinking again, I whirled around and slammed the door shut, hurrying down the hallway and down the stairs before Eri could question me about my finding. The address on the card was burned into my mind and I knew I had to get there quickly. Once I made it down the sidewalk, I started running in the direction I knew the office would be. I knew it was only a few blocks away, and I was too exhilarated from the idea that someone knew our secret – and was willing to help – to suffer the bus ride that could prove to take longer than just running the short distance.

Once I turned the corner, though, a familiar pang hit me in the chest, and I knew I was out of shape. It had been three years since I'd done anything more strenuous than shake my ass in an air-conditioned room. I had to slow down, though I didn't stop moving, just switching from a steadfast run to a pacing walk. My breathing had become somewhat labored, but it kept going. I had to get to the address on the card.

About halfway there, though, another familiar feeling stopped me, though this time it had nothing to do with my own physical state. I stopped finally, in the middle of the sidewalk, and turned, my eyes darting around. People bumped into me and mulled around, giving me strange looks as they stepped around me and went on their way, but I ignored them. My senses were on high alert after that aura brushed against mine, but it seemed to have faded.

It had been faint, but I knew what I'd felt. There was a youkai around!

All I could see, though, was a busy Tokyo street filled with cars, its sidewalks lined with humans on their way to school, work, or wherever else they could be headed at this time of day.

After a moment, when it didn't resurface, I turned and started on my way again, the pause in my journey allowing me to rest enough that I was capable of a steady jog to get me the rest of the way to the law offices. 'Ah! There it is!' As I approached it just a few minutes later, I took in its outward appearance. It seemed to be a simple, hole-in-the-wall establishment, sandwiched between a ramen shop on its left, right on the corner, and a trinket shop on its right. A single though large window took up most of the wall to the right of the door, which had another smaller window set into it. Both had bamboo blinds drawn closed, which made it easier to read the wording painted onto the glass in large, black kanji:

**The Law Offices of**

**Taisho**

**Ookami**

I swallowed hard as I approached the door and reached out for the doorknob. 'They look closed,' I thought as I started to turn the knob, surprised when it wasn't locked and started to open. With one more glance over my shoulder to make sure that earlier aura hadn't returned without my noticing, I pushed the door open all the way and entered, shutting it noisily behind me.

Blinking some more in my shock, I settled against the door and surveyed the inside of the office – which was much, much different from what I'd expected, given the somewhat run-down exterior. I found myself in a small but very well decorated lobby. Straight across the lobby from the front door, where I still stood, was another door with no window. Beside the door was a simple wooden desk, a young woman standing behind it. The woman had long black hair tied into pigtails and bright, pretty hazel eyes. She was dressed to the nines, much more professionally than I was, in a tight black sleeveless dress that covered her shoulders and ended just above the knee. Her stilettos were also black, and I spied a pretty anklet looped around her right ankle. It was a simple chain with a small heart attached. It tinkled with a light, airy sound as she came around the desk and gestured to the rest of the lobby, furnished with a low wooden coffee table surrounded by soft comfy living chairs with darkly stained legs and arms and white cushions, with a sweet smile.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Please take a seat."

I stared at her for a moment, realizing it was rude but too confused to care. "Don't I- Don't I need to make an appointment?"

The pretty girl – the secretary, maybe? - just smiled wider, still watching me and shaking her head. "No, Miss Higurashi. Mr. Taisho and Mr. Ookami are expecting you. They will be with you shortly."

My mouth opened and closed a few times, and if I wasn't so utterly shocked I'd have found it comical myself. When no more sound came out, I followed the her instructions and sat down in the closest chair, watching out of the corner of my eye as she herself sat down at the desk.

She'd made it sound like there would be the standard super long wait to see one of the partners, but before I knew it the door across the room was opening, and a tall man in a rather dashing black suit with a brown tie came out of the back area, pausing when he saw me. His black hair was short, and he blinked at me with familiar blue eyes.

I stood quickly, knowing from his appearance that he had to be one of the partners – I just wasn't sure which one, Mr. Taisho or Mr. Ookami.

At least, I wasn't until I suddenly found myself in a familiar spot. The legs of the wooden coffee table scraped against the floor loudly as the man shot forward, suddenly standing right in front of me, his hands grasping both of mine in his as he leaned down close to my face, a wide smile spread on his face and his eyes wide and bright.

"Kagome!" he cried out, his voice ringing with joy, and I gasped at the sound of my given name. "It's been so long since I've seen you! How are you? Much better than when we last shared company, I hope!"

Blinking some more, I looked him up and down as understanding slowly dawned and I finally figured out why he was so familiar.

"K-Kouga!" I exclaimed, no shortage of surprise on my face or in my voice. "You're Mr. Ookami?!"

He gave me a wolfish grin. The irony didn't escape me. "Not bad, right? I never really understood what muttface was going on about whenever he mentioned your time. This era is very strange compared to the way things were when I last saw you."

I gasped, my heart clenching painfully at the reference to Inuyasha. Sure, Kouga had called him that frequently, and it had been several centuries since the hanyou's death, but it still hurt. It had only been three years for me and Shippo, after all.

Suddenly I realized his proximity, and my nostrils flared as my face flushed and I pushed away a little, gaining some ground. It still felt terribly inappropriate to be so close to Kouga, and despite Inuyasha's death, I couldn't betray him. Not like this.

Somehow sensing my discomfort, Kouga also took a step back at the same time I did. His expression fell, but he kept a hold on my hands, our arms similarly outstretched. I couldn't meet his eyes, frowning at our joined hands instead.

"Wolf," another familiar voice thundered suddenly to our right, and we jumped back, our hands breaking apart as we did, both paling as we took in the newcomer to the lobby. The girl behind the desk only smirked as she stood slowly, tucking on of her pigtails behind her shoulder and clasping her hands together in front her. Beside her, shutting the door behind him, was a very tall, very imposing man who looked down his pointed nose at us with large brown eyes, long black hair tucked gathered at the nape of his neck into a ponytail. He was also wearing a striking black suit, his tie a slightly shiny silver. His hands were tucked into his slack pockets, watching Kouga and me closely with narrowed eyes.

Our gazes all shot to the giggle at his side. The girl was peering up at the scary man – who I assumed to be the other partner, Mr. Taisho – with an amused expression, and Kouga laughed beside me. "Oi, Mr. Prissy Pants, it wasn't what you think." He snickered as I glanced at him curiously.

Then my eyes settled back on Mr. Taisho, observing him more closely than I had before. There was something so familiar about him...

Suddenly it hit me. Kouga had chosen Ookami for a surname... And I had heard reference to Taisho in the Feudal Era as well...

I couldn't help gaping, but he looked so different! "S-Sesshomaru! Is that really you?" I stepped forward, my eyes widening as I took in his altered appearance and lack of demonic aura. 'Strange... Both he and Kouga look surprisingly human... And it's as though their auras have been repressed!'

Sesshomaru inclined his head to me. "Please, Miss Higurashi. If you will follow me." With that, he reopened the door to the back area and disappeared inside, followed closely by the young girl. Kouga also started to follow, his hand pressing gently on her arm as he walked past, but before he went toward the back, he darted to the front door, bolting the lock and turning the OPEN sign to read CLOSED. Giving me a quick wink, he started toward the back, gesturing for me to follow.

So follow I did. I wasn't sure what was going on or what these two were up to, but it seemed that they were the only ones who could help me.

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It had been hours since he'd finished gathering all the herbs Kaede required and gotten them to her, but the potion she'd been making still wasn't finished. He was on edge, and trying to keep calm and quiet just made it worse so he went for a quick sprint through the nearby forest.

After a few minutes of what he thought was mindless wandering, Inuyasha came up on the dry well in the very center of the forest named after him. Stopping gracefully at its edge, he peered in, a cold rush of something that felt strangely like homesickness flooding him. He couldn't stand all this waiting... Frowning deeply, he jumped into the well for what felt like the millionth time, closing his eyes and allowing him to hope one last time...

When his feet thudded roughly against the dirt at the bottom and he peered up at a fastly dimming sky, Inuyasha grunted angrily and leaped out, his claws swiping and slashing for any victim, claiming the lives of a dozen trees before his frustration finally waned.

Feeling somewhat sated for the first time since he awoke, Inuyasha returned to the village – more specifically, to Kaede's hut. Grimacing as he approached it, he covered his nose with his fire rat sleeve and stormed inside. "Oi! What's with that awful stench, old woman?!"

Kaede sighed, turning to give him an exasperated look over her shoulder. "Tis the potion, Inuyasha. It is ready."

"Keh! Good!" Inuyasha cried out, slamming himself down to the floor in the corner in his usual cross-legged sitting position. "We can finally get this show on the road."

Kaede shook her head despondently as she got up and slowly began to stride toward him. "Just one last thing to do before ye can use the potion, Inuyasha."

His nose twitched and his ears flicked as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window. "Oh yeah? And what's that? We better hurry up and do it so I can-" He had continued to talk even when he felt her grip his arm, but he broke off abruptly when blazing, fire spread up his limb, into his torso, and throughout his body. He tried to jerk away, but Kaede had a surprisingly strong grip, and she held fast, refusing to release the hanyou's arm as she flooded him with purity. Flinging them both onto the ground, he yelled and screamed and writhed, his mind a blank from the pain, and all he could focus on was surviving – and that meant getting as far away from Kaede as possible.

But it wasn't proving to be an easy task. She held on with all her might, and just when he'd about passed out from the pain, the purifying reiki diminished until it left his body completely, and Inuyasha felt numb all over. He could barely move, but he propped himself up on his arms and threw Kaede away from him, sneering angrily when she collided with the floor a couple feet away. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Ya got yourself possessed, didn't you, old woman?" He coughed roughly, reaching up to cover his mouth with his hand...

And starting visibly when he saw his clawless fingers. Drawing in a ragged breath, he darted over to the bowl of clean water in the corner of the room, his eyes widening at the sight of his reflection – his _very human_ reflection. Human ears, midnight hair, violet eyes... Spinning around, Inuyasha didn't even notice when the water spilled all over the floor of the hut. "What the hell did you do to me?!" His eyes zeroing in on her as she pulled herself up, Kaede just regarded him with an irritated stare.

"I did what was needed, Inuyasha."

"You better explain what the hell you're talkin' about, bitch!"

She sighed and sat down beside the pot with the potion, stirring it. "I am not my sister Kikyo or the young Kagome," she started. "I am a priestess myself, but I don't have the kind of control or power as either of them. My potion will not seal a demon – or a half-demon – for as long as ye need to be sealed. It will only have the desired effect on a human. So," she finished, and Inuyasha would have growled if he could when he saw that smirk on her face. "I had to turn ye human. Tis only temporary, but as long as ye are in this state when the potion is drunk, it will stick until the seal fades in five hundred years."

His darkened eyes narrowed at her and he grunted. It made sense, but he didn't have to like it. "Fine! I guess I can forgive you. Ya should've said something though."

He was surprised to hear her snort in amusement. "Would ye have allowed me to, had I warned ye first?"

A smile spread across his lips. "No, I s'pose not."

They regarded each other a moment before Kaede poured some of the potion into a cup and shuffled toward Inuyasha, who had resumed his spot in the corner. Still smiling gently, she handed him the cup. "Drink, Inuyasha. Your guardian shall be here soon to take ye, and I know they are expecting ye to be unconscious when they arrive."

He regarded her with sudden suspicion again. "Who-?"

"Worry not about your guardian, boy. Just drink and relax. The seal will take a few moments to take effect.," she shot back.

Giving her an obviously irritated look, still suspicious, he huffed into the drink. "I guess I have no choice. I have to trust you."

Kaede only nodded.

Looking down into the cup, Inuyasha could see some of his reflection in the potion. He stared for a moment before taking a deep, steadying breath, trying to dispel some of his nerves. 'I'll be with you soon, Kagome. I just hope...' He closed his eyes. 'I hope you haven't forgotten me.' Without a second thought, he drained the cup before setting it down to the side.

Without hesitation, his eyelids began to droop and his limbs refused to respond. "Wha-?" He glanced at Kaede, who had stepped away from him. "I thought you said- You said it'd be a few- A few minutes before..." He couldn't finish; he was fading fast. The seal was working through his system much more quickly than he'd anticipated, and cold, biting fear had started to work its way into his gut. However, it also began to fade, as his consciousness did. In less than another minute, he was out, his aura sealed.

Kaede sighed in relief, sagging against the far wall as her guest slowly entered the hut. Her eyes perpetually trained on Inuyasha's now sleeping form, she gestured to the newcomer to come closer. "The seal has taken effect. He will be asleep in an unchanging human form until his awakens in five hundred years." She finally looked up and regarded the one who had volunteered to guard Inuyasha until he awoke. "Ye will make sure he and Kagome meet again, will ye not? I am afraid purifying his demon blood took the rest of what little strength I still had, and it will wear off once he awakes. Ye will have to protect him, and guide him, and explain to him all that has changed with time. Are ye up for this task... Sesshomaru?"

The elder son of the Inu no Taisho didn't even look at the elderly human priestess. He simply stared at his younger half-brother with something akin to a glare – but not quite.

He nodded, and his own servants entered the hut and took hold of Inuyasha, carrying the younger son away. As he turned to leave though, Kaede tried again. "Sesshomaru?"

He stopped just inside the door. Without turning, he simply replied, "He will be safe until he awakens." With that, he slipped out and was gone.

Satisfied, Kaede sat back and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure how much time she had left, or how much she'd had prior to using the last of her strength to give Inuyasha his fighting chance to make it the full five hundred years under the seal, but she was determined to make the most of it. Settling down for as good a night's sleep as she can attain, Kaede knew she would have more work than she knew what to do with ahead of her.

After all, Kagome had spoken of a shrine in her time occupying the space where Inuyasha's Forest now presides...


	6. Chapter Five

**Blame It on the Changes.**

_Chapter Five:_

On the other side of the door was a surprisingly long corridor, all white tile floors and hardwood paneling, lit sconces lighting the way as Sesshomaru, Kouga, and their secretary led Kagome past two doors on the left and one on the right to the one at the very end. Opening it gracefully, Sesshomaru swept in and flicked the lightswitch, and she suddenly realized it was a spacious meeting room, with the same white tile floor and hardwood panel walls. Along one wall, stretching about halfway down, was a counter, darkly stained wood with a lighter stained wood for the countertop. It was built with a sink and several cabinets, and a white mini-fridge was set beside it, humming peacefully. In the very center of the room was an oval table, the tabletop made of glass and the legs made of black metallic material. Six darkly stained wooden chairs surrounded the table, and as Kagome passed through the doorway, Sesshomaru gestured to the table, standing stoically to the side. "Sit."

Swallowing hard, she chose the seat closest to her, the one with its back to the door, and sat.

Sesshomaru nodded to the secretary, who took the seat to Kagome's immediate left, he himself taking the seat directly to _her_ left. Kouga sat down to Kagome's immediate right.

"Oh!" the secretary started, her mouth forming an "O" shape as her eyes widened at the miko. "I'm so sorry! I have yet to introduce myself." She reached forward and took Kagome's hand in hers with a firm shake. "My name is Taisho Iyo." At that, Kagome's gaze tore from her smiling face to Sesshomaru's silent glare, officially taken aback. _She must be his... mate? Or..._ The miko took another long look at the girl, noting the eyes, the facial features that seemed slightly familiar, except for...

Her nose. She had the same nose as Sesshomaru. And the shape of their faces matched as well. There were other, smaller similarities that were more difficult to name, but seeing the two of them side by side at the table made them easier to decipher. Kagome's chocolate eyes zeroed in on Sesshomaru, who was looking away. "Rin?" she squeaked in question, her voice high with surprise.

Iyo smiled her same sweet smile, and Kagome could guess now where she'd gotten it from. "She was my mother."

The miko nodded, releasing the other girl's hand and taking a breath. Under her chair, her legs crossed before she really realized it, and her hands clasped nervously in her lap. Her eyes darted back and forth between the three of them. "So," she started, her voice coming out sounding much more confident than she felt, "who's going to tell me what's going on?"

It seemed a simple enough question, but their reactions made Kagome wonder. Sesshomaru and Kouga shared a look she couldn't read, but their demeanors resonated with anxiety, and Iyo took a deep breath and smiled at her once again. "We know what's happened," she stated, her voice even and unflinching. "We know that your son – Shippo – has been taken by _the state_." She said that last part with a weird inflection that made Kagome's eyes narrow and her head tilt. "We know he isn't from this time period, and that you need some... _special assistance_ to get him back." Her smile hadn't wavered throughout the entire spiel. Not once.

Kagome blinked, nodding at her words. "They need his papers. Obviously his papers don't exist, or else I'd have handed copies over to the school when they requested them."

Kouga chuckled right then, drawing her attention. "We've already got those taken care of," he said, nodding to Sesshomaru as the other man –_demon?_ - removed a large manila folder from the inside of his jacket and passed it down the table to her. Opening it, she pulled out all the necessary paperwork – proof of Shippo's birth and citizenship, proof that Kagome was his mother and legal guardian. Her gaze snapped back up to regard those at the table with a shocked – and hopefully grateful – expression. "Th-Thank you," she murmured, sliding the papers back into the folder and clutching it close to her chest.

For the first time since this began, she had a glimmer of hope. They really could help her.

"Now all I need to do is find another job and another place to live..." she mumbled, mostly to herself. At that, Iyo laughed softly, and Kagome looked at her again.

She waved her hand absently. "Oh, don't worry about those parts. We've got that taken care of for you."

Okay, now the miko was really confused. "What do you mean? You found me another job already?"

Now Sesshomaru was smiling. It was a little creepy. "That will not be necessary – given the course of action that was taken." He continued to smile at the girl's puzzled look. "All you need to do is show back up to your place of employment tomorrow morning at ten to start your new job."

Brown eyes narrowed, but she knew that was all she'd be getting out of him – for now, at least. "And my apartment?"

"Oh, you won't be staying there anymore." Now it seemed it was Kouga's turn to be cryptic.

Kagome rolled her eyes at the two of them; they were being absurd. "Oh yeah? Then where will I be staying?"

"With me."

She stopped, her heart clenching yet again at the voice that made those words, and her eyes widened as she could only stare down at her knees through the glass tabletop for a long moment. _Inuyasha!_ The voice had come from behind her, but Kagome hadn't realized anyone else had entered the establishment, let alone the room.

It felt like forever, but she finally gained the courage to turn in her chair and look hesitantly into the newcomer's eyes.

Instead of molten amber, though, her gaze found deep violet orbs watching her from inside the doorway. The young man they belonged to was young and very modernly dressed. His long midnight hair was in a long, thick braid that he had draped over one shoulder, the ends brushing the chest pocket of his red button-down shirt left untucked from slightly holy blue jeans, worn white sneakers covering his feet. His hands were crossed over his chest and he leaned against the doorframe, a familiar pose that made the miko's breath catch.

It was him. He wasn't _hanyou_ at the moment, but...

She would know her love anywhere.

Kagome stood suddenly, the impulse to throw herself into his arms suddenly too much to hold in, but she was able to stop herself at the look in his eyes... Wary. Fearful, even.

"You're... human?" she asked. She was standing only two feet from him, from her lost love, but it was gone. That pull, that sensation that everything was right with the world... No, his presence was _wrong_. Her stomach churned at the thought. "How...?" she couldn't finish. Not without fully recognizing the wrongness she was feeling.

He shifted, obviously uncomfortable. "I'm not a reincarnation," he said, and Kagome exhaled in relief, not having even noticed that she was holding her breath. "Or so they tell me." He jerked his head at the trio still sitting at the table.

Kagome tensed at that and stuck him with a stare. "What does that mean?"

The wariness in his eyes intensified. "I don't remember."

She didn't move; she couldn't look away. "What?"

He huffed, suddenly agitated and glaring full force at her. "I don't _remember_, stupid bitch!"

She felt her face turn red. "Don't you _dare_ start that again, Inuyasha-"

Kagome stopped, startled beyond his expectation, it seemed, when his fist met the door with a loud _bang!_ "Dammit, don't _call_ me that!"

All the air left her lungs as she gaped at him, her mouth hanging open. "Wh-What?"

He was visibly trying to rein in his temper, swiping shaking fingers through his bangs and looking at the floor. "I don't remember what happened before. Sesshomaru and Kouga told me some, but..." He finally looked up, meeting the girl's shocked brown eyes. "I go by Yash. Right now, anyway."

The world swayed for a moment, but suddenly strong hands were on her shoulders, helping Kagome find the chair again. She looked up into Inuyasha's - _Yash's_ - concerned violet eyes, leaning against him out of pure habit and taking in the woodsy smell she still somehow remembered, even after everything that had happened these past three years. There was more to it now though... Cologne? She couldn't be sure. The world stopped spinning as her butt hit the cushion again, and she fixed Sesshomaru with an accusing look. "What _happened_?"

Was that pity she saw in his brown, human eyes as he started his tale? Kagome couldn't be sure.

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Kouga raised his brow at Sesshomaru's anxious pacing. He hadn't seen his business partner this worked up in at least a century, though he knew it was to be expected. After all, Rin wasn't around anymore to calm the _taiyoukai_, and no matter how much of her was in Iyo, it just wasn't the same without the silly _onna_ around to keep the demons in line.

The five hundred years was up; Kouga knew that the well had closed a few days prior. Being as old as they were meant having your hands in just about everything, and having your hands in just about everything meant getting the information you needed practically as soon as it had happened. It was simple to discover Kagome's secret after what little Inuyasha had shared with them before his sealing. They found her school records, her address at the shrine, whatever information they needed on her family. To help matters along just in case it was needed somewhere down the line, they forged her medical records to show that she had been hospitalized and diagnosed with whatever illness her crazy grandfather had faked for her. Now that the well was closed and they officially knew that she and Shippo were in this time period for good, they'd already begun creating the _kitsune_'s legal papers. Everything would be in order by the time Inuyasha awoke.

_Whenever_ that would be...

It had been a simple enough task, guarding him while he slept. Sesshomaru had set him to the side, building a home around his half-brother and keeping him well hidden from the world. Only he, Kouga, Rin, and Iyo knew where to find the sealed _hanyou_ - now just Sesshomaru, Kouga, and Iyo. Rin had managed to remain loyally at her mate's side for almost four hundred years, finally losing the battle with her own creeping mortality when she was struck by a wild _kumoyoukai_. It was a painful, drawn out death that only made Sesshomaru withdraw from the rest of the world even more than he had been before he met the _ningen_ as a girl in the woods. Only Iyo, who, in her true form, only resembled her honored mother in some of her facial features and her hazel eyes, could seem to draw the might Sesshomaru back out of his stoic brood.

Now though, it was obvious that the unknown was getting to him. They hadn't thought about what they would do if Inuyasha didn't rise from his slumber at the appropriate time, and the two _youkai_ were beginning to get a little worried – not that either would ever admit to worrying over Inuyasha, of all people.

No, they were just worried that all their hard work these past five centuries would be for nothing.

Then, when they'd both just about lost all hope that the idiot would come unsealed...

"He's awake!" came Iyo's excited cry from Inuyasha's chambers. "Father, Kouga! Come quick! His eyes are opening!"

Both _youkai_ dashed down the hallway in the Western House, Kouga forgetting Shippo's paperwork for the time being. Sure enough, when they entered the room set aside just for the sleeping _hanyou_, they saw him struggling to sit up, fighting off his niece's hands.

"Uncle Inuyasha!" Iyo cried out, trying desperately to keep her hands on his shoulders as he grunted and groaned, pushing at her. "Uncle, please stop! I'm only trying to assist you!"

"Get back!" he was crying out, still sounding groggy. "I- What's going on?" He finally looked up, meeting eyes with Sesshomaru. Kouga stood to the side, staring and unsure of what to do. "Where am I? Who are you?" He glared firmly at the _taiyoukai_ as he continued to fight off the girl.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed while Kouga sputtered. If Inuyasha had awoken and asked that question while the two of them were still under concealment, that would have been one thing. But both _youkai_ were standing before him in their true forms, though their clothing was more modern. They should have been easily recognizable to their old ally, as both of them looked very much the same as they had five hundred years before.

"You do not know me anymore, brother?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice quiet but commanding; Kouga gave him a startled look at the sound of the word "brother."

But Inuyasha just shook his head. "What's going on? Where am I?"

Tilting his head in what seemed to be curiosity – but Kouga and Iyo knew better – Sesshomaru came forward, standing over his half-brother. "What _do_ you remember, Inuyasha?"

The man sitting in front of them swallowed under that hardened gaze. "I remember-" he started, but the sentence couldn't be finished, and Kouga knew it just by the sudden widening of his eyes, the panicked expression on his face. He shook his head, his gaze dropping to the floor in horror. "I... I don't."

Sesshomaru quirked a silver eyebrow. "Explain."

The human shrugged in defeat. "I don't remember anything." After another moment, he looked up. "Inu- Inuyasha. That's my name?"

Iyo finally released her uncle, stepping back from the bed in shock and horror as she realized what was going on. She turned, her eyes meeting Kouga's questioningly, but the wolf had no answers for her.

Except one. "We can't tell Kagome yet," he said, his stomach turning at the thought of Kagome's heartbreak upon receiving the news that her love had returned – but not really.

"Who's Kagome?"

The three of them simply stared at the human, in shock, dismay, and disbelief.

This was _not_ turning out the way any of them had expected.

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As Kouga led Kagome out of the offices after the exhausting meeting, Iyo returned to the front desk, leaving Sesshomaru and Yash alone together. Yash couldn't bring himself to drag his eyes from whatever fascinating aspect of the tile he'd discovered, and Sesshomaru had just about had it with his _brother's_ memory loss.

"Well?"

Yash finally looked up at the _taiyoukai_ turned human. The brown eyes were on him expectantly. "Well what?" he finally asked, his tone biting. He was annoyed, and there was this strange inner turmoil he was feeling. The way that girl had looked at him when she found out his memories of their apparent time together were still sealed away with his _youki_...

It made him feel like an ass.

_But I didn't _do _anything!_ he kept telling himself, though his gut and Sesshomaru's accusing eyes said differently.

"Did you feel anything? Seeing her here?" Sesshomaru asked, his tone quietly falsifying patience.

Yash snorted. "You've had me tailing her practically since I woke up. I've seen that girl every day for three years now."

"Yes," Sesshomaru said, standing, his palms still flat on the table, "but today was the closest you've been to her physically. So did you feel anything?"

Looking away, Yash shoved his hands back into his pockets, thinking over everything. _Did I feel anything?_ he asked himself. Sure, he'd felt plenty of things when he saw the girl's face, her reaction to him. It was awkward, scary, unnerving... But he knew what Sesshomaru meant. _Did I_feel _anything?_ he asked himself again, searching now for those good feelings that are supposed to come flooding to the forefront of the mind when a man is reunited with the girl he waited half a millenia to see again.

After a moment, he shook his head, bowing it a little in shame. Sesshomaru had the fleetingly amusing idea that if his _brother_ had his _youki_ and was in his _hanyou_ form, his pup's ears would be lain back against his head despondently. "No," Yash murmured, closing his eyes. "There was nothing like I expected."

It wasn't what Sesshomaru had hoped to hear, that was for sure. But they had much more pressing matters to deal with; Yash's memory retrieval could wait for now. Sesshomaru sent him to take Kagome and her roommate to their new home – which was also Yash's home. The _hanyou_Inuyasha would be restored – it would just take time.

Hopefully...


	7. Chapter Six

A/N: Okay, so! Totally overhauling the entire story. I decided I'm not really liking the majority of it in Kagome's first person POV. So I'm converting the first chapter into a prologue, leaving it first person, and changing the rest of the chapters up so they're numbered appropriately, given the new chapter order, and changing them to limited third person. I'm also changing the story as a whole to a Legend, because now that the plot has changed, I'm having more and more ideas that are slowly lengthening the story. It's not going to be crazy long, but it'll be at least thirteen chapters, which is actually much longer than I originally intended.

Okay then! Now that my announcement is out of the way, I will commence with the new Chapter Six! Warning, there is a surprise lime in this one. And by surprise, I mean I didn't expect it to happen, lol.

Also, I have an entire playlist on my Galaxy dedicated to this damn story, lol. The overall idea was inspired by the song "Again" by Lenny Kravitz. The soundtrack for this specific chapter is "A Drop in the Ocean" by Ron Pope, and the lime was fueled by "Civilian" by Wye Oak.

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Blame It on the Changes.

Chapter Six:

The ride to the Yash's home was a long, quiet one. Kagome kept peeking at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he could tell that she was doing it. He never looked at her, just kept his own eyes on the road. She'd been surprised when Kouga had led her out onto the street from the meeting room at Taisho and Ookami and opened the passenger side door of a sleek, black sedan before gesturing for her to get in. Giving the wolf demon a curious look, she was about to ask if this was his car when the door to the office slammed shut behind her, making her jump. As she turned, Yash came stalking silently, almost sulkily, around her before heading around to the driver side of the car and climbing in without even sparing her a glance. Her heart had clenched painfully, and she'd settled into the passenger seat, trying her best to ignore the angry glare Kouga was shooting Yash.

Now, they were on their way to... wherever it was Yash lived, and she wasn't sure where things would go from there. What would happen once they got there? Where would Eri go? She couldn't abandon her best friend, the person who had been there for her and Shippo – besides Mama, Souta, and Jii-chan – but she didn't think Kouga and Sesshomaru would be willing to put her up as well. And what about her job? Iyo had said to go back to the club at ten the next morning. What did that mean? Suddenly Kagome was very eager to find out, but she'd have to be patient. It would be difficult, but it was a whole twenty-four hours away.

Besides, she thought, turning her head completely to the left and gazing at Yash thoughtfully. I've got plenty of things to keep me occupied until then.

Finally, he glanced at her, but kept his eyes trained on the road for the most part. "What?" he asked, his voice quiet, not a trace of a growl anywhere. But it still warmed her to hear his voice again.

She smiled, turning in her seat and getting comfy but still keeping her eyes on him. "It's just neat to see you... like this... during the day."

At that, Yash smirked in amusement. "Oh yeah, I only became human at certain times before, didn't I?" The smirk faded a little when she nodded, though her own smile never faltered. "It was always at night?" he asked.

She blinked, her smile fading finally. That's right, she thought. Sesshomaru and Kouga never knew when he became human. They wouldn't have been able to tell him more than the fact that he did sometimes. She licked her lips. "Yeah. It was the night of the new moon every month."

He nodded at that, his brow furrowing thoughtfully. "They didn't know, but you did?"

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly a little uncomfortable. It wasn't the question itself that did it, but the way he asked it. She had to look away from him, opting to turn her gaze out the window. There was a lot more meaning to that question – and its corresponding answer – and they both knew it. Blushing hotly, Kagome simply nodded before realizing that he couldn't very well see her head moving, so she also squeaked out an awkward "Yes."

She was surprised when Yash chuckled. "You can chill out, you know," he told her as he started to pull the car to the right and slow down. Her head spun a little as she turned it to look at the place they were pulling into. It was a driveway, and after just another moment they were sitting just inside a wrought-iron gate that was closing behind the car. In front of them was another black sedan very similar to, if not exactly the same as, the one they were currently in. In front of that car was a closed garage, connected to a rather large house, with white siding and red shutters on every window. The front door was also painted the same shade of red, and a few feet above it there was another window, hinting at an upstairs space. The yard between the house and the gate was surprisingly large, with a paved walkway that led from the front door to a smaller, swinging gate by the road. A red mailbox stood proudly just outside the smaller gate.

Kagome gasped as Yash leaned in close to her right then, tearing her attention back from the abode to himself with that same amused smirk from earlier. "I don't bite." He winked, and the joke behind his simple words was not lost on Kagome. She shook her head, smiling a little to herself, as he got out of the car and she followed suit.

"Kagome!"

Jumping, startled at the sound of her name, the girl was especially surprised to see Eri come tearing across the yard before throwing herself at the younger girl in a hug. "I thought I was kidnapped! I didn't know where you were or how to reach you or-"

"Whoa, Eri, slow down!" Kagome stopped her friend, pulling away to look her in the face. "You thought you were being kidnapped? Why?" She shot a suddenly angry look at Yash, who took a few steps back and held up his hands in defense. "Whatever it is, I had nothing to do with it," he told the girls before looking over his shoulder at the front door. Standing there, a familiar face waited, sheepishly watching the exchange in the driveway.

Kagome just stood there, incredulous for a second. "Dr. Chase?" she called out, and the sound of his name pulled the Australian away from the door and onto the grass. He smiled, seemingly embarrassed, at Kagome and gave her a small wave. "Hello, Miss Higurashi. It's nice to see you during the daytime."

Her jaw dropped as she regarded Yash once again, who huffed at her stare and started to turn a brilliant shade of red himself. "Let's just- Let's just get everyone inside and I can explain," he shot back at her, pushing away and stomping into the house, Channing hot on his heels.

Eri shot Kagome a questioning look, but Kagome just shrugged as she started to follow the human men into the house. Frustrated, Eri fumed as she stuck close to Kagome, following the three of them through the front door and simple yet elegant entryway, with its white walls, shiny hardwood floors, and grand furnishing. Already Kagome felt out of place. Is this where we're supposed to live from now on? she wondered, continuing through the house.

The rest of the ground floor seemed to be much simpler aesthetically, which Kagome and Eri both found rather pleasing. It was still beautiful, with the white painted walls and shiny hardwood continuing throughout. The entryway expanded into a hallway, which Yash led them down, pointing out rooms as they went. On the right just inside the front door was a formal sitting room, obviously for entertaining any guests they would receive. Directly across from it was the dining area, as elegantly laid out at the entryway. A little further down the hall were two more doors directly across from each other, the one on the right bringing them into a much less formal rec room, with not just living chairs, a sofa, and a coffee table as the sitting room had, but also a large flat screen television mounted against one wall, another coffee table directly below it and two tall dark wooden bookcases on either side of it. Across the hallway from the rec room was the kitchen, very spacious with plenty of cabinets, an island counter long enough to seat six, a small breakfast nook in one corner, and a large, very well-stocked pantry just inside the door. Kagome could see it was outfitted with the finest marble countertops and the most advanced appliances available. She and Eri shared an impressed look.

As they reached the rear of the house where the hallway forked in completely opposite directions, Yash pulled to a stop. "Okay, there are three bedrooms here on this floor," he told the girls, refusing to face them. "The bathroom is there." He pointed to a closed door to their left. "Eri, your room is right down there." He gestured to the closed door at the end of the hallway on the left. "The one down to the right is Kagome's, and the one here in the middle is Shippo's."

Kagome perked right up at the sound of Shippo's name. "Shippo? You already got him?" she asked, her voice breathless with barely repressed excitement.

Yash frowned at her. "No, I'm afraid not," he replied quietly, his eyes meeting hers finally, for the first real time since they'd left the law office. Kagome wilted almost instantly, her gaze crashing to the floor as her head hung.

Suddenly, Yash found himself overcome with a sensation. He couldn't call it alien, because it felt more familiar even than the feel of his own skin. He couldn't even call it strange, because it was as natural as breathing. It was an unpleasant ache in his chest as he regarded Kagome's sad expression, taking in her disappointment and swallowing it as readily as he normally did his own. He blinked when he realized he was on the verge of stepping toward her and... And what? he asked himself. Embracing her? Kissing her? Trying to make everything all right again?Mentally, he berated himself. You'd just come off pushy. Don't be a creep. Give her time. Deeper down, something raged against the idea of turning away from Kagome when she was so obviously upset, but he pushed it away, tearing his gaze from the sad girl in front of him and clenching his jaw. "Channing and I also live here. I'll be upstairs, Channing rooms downstairs. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come find either of us." With his tour finished, Yash pushed away, heading down the right hand corridor to a set of stairs hidden just around the corner. Kagome bit her lip, her head quirking up at the sound of his feet against the solid wood staircase, and Channing and Eri shared perplexed looks. After a moment, Channing just shrugged and started toward the staircase that was hidden down the left hand corridor, the same as Yash's but this one went down instead of up. The girls, left to their own devices at it seemed, just went their separate ways, each checking out their own bedroom and choosing not to look too closely into their new living arrangements.

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It was sometime later that night, after dark, that Kagome couldn't take it anymore. The curiosity was killing her. Channing and Eri had asked her just a couple hours before if she wanted to play video games with them in the rec room, but she'd declined, saying she'd rather just read a little before going to bed.

But she couldn't help the nagging feeling that she should go up and check on Yash. He'd remained upstairs the rest of the day, not even coming down when the other trio of housemates had made lunch and then later dinner. Channing had only shrugged, saying sometimes Yash did this, and it didn't seem to matter how many times the doctor gave the young man his professional opinion about foregoing meals, he'd still do it whenever the mood struck.

This didn't sit well at all with Kagome, and when she'd returned to her room after eating, she'd opened up her book and tried hard to get past it. But now here she was, glancing at the clock – which read 10:32 pm, meaning Yash had gone more than twelve hours without eating! - debating whether or not to disturb the mysterious human who was somehow very different from the hanyou she'd once known.

Finally, her mind was made up. The book made a slapping sound as it shut, and she left it on the queen size bed that had been set up for her on her arrival. Trying to be as cautious and quiet as she could, Kagome popped her bedroom door open and peered out, listening intently to the sounds that wafted from the rec room. Eri and Channing were still playing video games, it sounded like, from the whoops and gunfire emanating from the room. "In your face, Chase!" she heard the other girl cry out, and Kagome snorted quietly, slipping out of her bedroom and tiptoeing across the hall to the stairs where she'd last seen Yash. They curved slightly as they rose into darkness, the walls narrowing, and at the top was a simple closed door.

With her resolve steeled, Kagome formed a small fist and reached up, knocking gently.

There was rustling on the other side, followed quickly by a gruff "Just a sec!" True to his word, barely seconds passed before the door jerked open, revealing a bare chested Yash. Kagome's eyes widened before darting downward, noting the grey sweatpants hanging off his hips before darting right back up, deciding that she was in less danger of spontaneously combusting – or otherwise making a fool of herself – with the firstextremely appealing sight rather than the equally appealing second. Her eyes moved further upward, taking in his small, knowing smile and the violet eyes twinkling at her in the low light emanating from his room. "Can I help you with something, Kagome?"

Her name slid off his tongue smoothly, the feeling of it on his lips was, once again, the most natural thing he'd known in his three years of consciousness. The gasp she emitted at the sound of it, as well as the blush that stained her cheeks and nose, made him feel unexpectedly satisfied. After another moment of silence, Yash took pity on the obviously nervous girl and invited her inside by taking her hand in his and leading her gently through the door. Once she was inside, bathed suddenly in the soft glow of the nearby table lamp on his nightstand, he shut the door, looking her over. When she continued to stare at him without uttering a word, Yash's amusement started to morph into concern. "Hey," he murmured, letting go of her hand to hold onto her shoulder lightly and give her a gentle shake, ducking his head down to look her directly in the eye. "No need to be worried, or nervous, or... Or whatever you are."

At that, Kagome smiled. "I'm sorry," she finally said, and Yash exhaled in relief. "It just suddenly felt so..." She looked puzzled suddenly, and he released her shoulder, stepping back. He couldn't help tilting his head, watching her closely.

His chuckle broke the silence again. "Awkward?" he guessed, and she nodded timidly. He nodded as well, turning and walking to the king size bed at the far side of the very spacious room. Kagome looked around a little, noting the desk against one wall, papers and pens strewn about it haphazardly, the large punching bag hanging from the ceiling not far to the right of the desk, near the window Kagome had seen from the outside earlier. A dresser was up against the wall opposite the bed, a tall full length mirror standing right beside it. Her eyes settled once again on Yash when he sat down on the bed, patting the space beside him and gesturing for her to come closer.

Her eyes still wide, Kagome obeyed, taking the place beside him on the bed and sitting with her long legs crossed, facing him. He smiled at her. "You know what I think would help?" he asked, not surprised at all when she shook her head. "I think - Well, I know it would help me, and I can't help but think it would help you too – if you would tell me about the hanyou Inuyasha, and your adventure in the feudal times."

Her expression was shocked, but within moments she was smiling, her eyes on him. "Sesshomaru and Kouga couldn't tell you that much, could they?"

Yash shook his head. "Nope, they sure couldn't."

She giggled at that. "Well then! I'm more than happy to help."

He returned her smile at that.

They spent the next few hours the way, sitting on his bed talking, Kagome regaling Yash with tales of his former glory as the very macho, sometimes awkward but usually offensive hanyou hero Inuyasha. Their positions changed here and there until finally Yash found himself lying on his back, his feet on the pillows and his head resting in Kagome's lap as she played with his hair and he hung on her every word.

"And then-" she broke off into a quick giggle, "and then you fell over and just passed out! Right there in the dirt!" More giggling from his female companion had Yash chuckling himself at the embarrassing story. "It took all three of us – me, Sango, and Miroku – to get you up onto Kirara just so we could get you down the hall to where we'd be sleeping for the night!" At that, his chuckling became all out laughter, and he had to sit up or choke on his own spit. He shot out of Kagome's lap as the girls giggles subsided and she slapped him gently on the back to help keep him from dying of laughter.

Right then, the clock on desk caught her eye. It was well past midnight. "Oh wow," she said, uncrossing her legs and getting up off the bed. "I didn't mean to stay up so late. Guess I'd better get down to bed." Looking back at Yash, she bit her upper lip, suddenly nervous again, but then she smiled at him nonetheless. "Thank you for talking with me tonight, Yash. You were right; it did help."

He regarded her with a warm look, smiling in return. "I should be the one thanking you, Kagome," he replied. "I now have a- A much better sense of what I was like before waking up."

Her smile brightened even more, and she met his eyes. "You're welcome, Yash."

They stood there, just like that, for a moment longer, simply smiling at the other and knowing they needed to separate, but neither actually wanting to do so. Finally, it was Kagome who broke the stalemate, bowing her head and turning to the door-

Suddenly there were hands clutching her elbows, a dominating warmth pressed against her back as soft, wet lips caught the curve of her neck, causing Kagome to gasp as her body stilled, her head tilting to the left without her permission, unconsciously allowing Yash full access to that part of her body. Her eyes fluttered closed as he pulled her against him, his mouth moving along the soft skin of her throat, first skimming down across her shoulder before moving upward, combining with the feel of teeth and tongue with his lips as he found her jaw.

A small cry worked free of Kagome's chest, and the two abruptly found themselves against the closed door, Kagome's face pressed into the wood as she writhed against Yash, her head tilting back against his shoulder as her arms came up to wrap her small hands around the back of his head, opening her up to him for further exploration. As his mouth continued to kiss and suck and lick and nip along her jaw and throat, his hands slid away from her arms, somehow finding their way under her too big nightshirt, sliding across her stomach before grabbing hold of her breast through her bra. The gesture made Kagome gasp again, which just urged Yash onward, popping the tender mound from its cotton holster and thumbing the nipple, which hardened under his attention.

Against her skin, Yash found himself moaning, unable to think clearly anymore. He was so hard, and she seemed so eager... Especially the way she cried out again, brushing her ass against the throbbing dick in his sweatpants as he tweaked her nipple hard, causing her to hiss and yank on his hair-

Which somehow brought him crashing back down to earth, and he ripped himself away from her, stumbling back and gasping her breath as he tried to calm down, and quickly. For a few painful moments, he could only stare at her back as Kagome, also heaving steadying breaths and trying to return to rational thought, rested against the door, both seeming to be in shock.

Finally, Yash started to snap out of it. "Kagome, I-"

But she wouldn't let him finish. Without turning to look at him, the girl whispered "Gomen," before opening the door, slipping out onto the staircase, and shutting it quickly behind her. Desperate not to ruin what had transpired, Yash threw himself to his feet, dashing to the door and opening it – to find a dark, empty staircase and Kagome's own bedroom door slamming shut.

After a few moments spent staring down her bedroom door, willing it to open, Yash sighed, closing his own door and turning to head toward the bed, rubbing his face despondently. What the hell was that all about? he couldn't help wondering. One moment he'd been about to just let her go back to her own room, content with his plan to wait, to let her come to terms with all that had happened and maybe let a new relationship grow in the old one's place, in case his memories never returned. But before he knew what was happening, he was pressed against her, ready to take her in every way possible for a man to take a woman.

She'd have let me too, he thought, flopping down onto the bed and sighing again, this time much more heavily. Maybe I shouldn't have stopped... But he closed his eyes, shaking his head. No... It's too soon, too fast. We both need time.

It sounded solid. Now if only he could convince his gut that it was the best idea...

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A/N: One more thing I want to say: I know Inuyasha/Yash seems wayyyyyy OOC right now, but bear with me! Right now things are really awkward, and while Yash and Inuyasha are the same person at their core, they're also very different because they've had drastically different experiences. Yash is going to be much more confident in social situations because all the experiences he's had have been as a human in modern Tokyo. He's much more accustomed to social situations and hasn't had to deal with all the half-breed racism bullshit that Inuyasha dealt with growing up. Yash is more polite simply because he lives now in a time where it's required for him to function normally to be polite, and he's never been given any reason not to be polite. As time goes by, their similarities will start to appear.


	8. Chapter Seven

A/N: So the changes have been made, and if you'd like you can go back and reread the first six chapters - now the first five chapters plus prologue – but nothing major was changed, just some of the wording, the tense, and I took the opportunity available to fix whatever typos I came across.

Anyway! On with the show. The track for this chapter's IK is "Oxygen" by Shelby Merry, and the rooftop and ending scenes were inspired by "Hey Italy" by Halifax and "The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars.

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**Blame It on the Changes.**

**Chapter Seven:**

A lone figure dressed in form-fitting black armor crouched low on one of the taller buildings in central Tokyo, her clawed hands gripping the stone edge just underneath her. Aloof golden eyes surveyed the city below, practically glowing in the darkness with every light that was reflected on the shimmering skyscraper across the way from her lonely rooftop. Long, silver hair whipped around her wildly as the wind caught the strands, though she paid it no mind. There were much more pressing matters at hand...

Such as the scent she caught on that very same wind.

A smirk graced her delicate visage. "Gotcha," she murmured before rising gracefully from her crouch at the roof's edge, turning her head to the left to face the breeze. She broke out into a sprint along the edge, to the unknowing eye dangerously close to slipping right off. When she reached the end of this rooftop, her knees bent, bringing her back down into a low crouch before they straightened suddenly, throwing her up into the air and through it, her hair fluttering behind her when she came down. Her feet made light contact with the next roof, never losing her balance thanks to the thin yet strong boots she wore. She didn't stop there, however; she was a woman on a mission, and she'd found her stride. She was still running when she repeated the jump, landing herself on the next rooftop, and they gradually started rising higher and higher into the air, her rising with them.

Finally, his scent was so strong she didn't need the wind to locate him anymore.

No doubt he already sensed her himself. When she landed on the roof of the smallest building amid a cluster of skyscrapers toward the south of the one she'd started on, she stopped abruptly, sniffing the air lightly.

_He's here._

She whirled around to face the darkness when she heard him make a clicking sound with his tongue. "My enemy has arrived."

She scowled. "I don't have to be."

His red eyes flashed with something she couldn't identify. Anger perhaps? "Oh, but _my Lady_, that's exactly what are." He stood and came closer, into the light cast on them from the full moon above.

She stood her ground. "We weren't always."

He released a deep, amused chuckle. "Oh, _koi_," he murmured. "Yes, we were."

She was ready when he attacked first, leaping soundlessly through the air and swinging his elongated claws down from overhead. She spun out of the way, the white pup's ears atop her head twitching amid her hair at the whistling sound they made as they barely missed her. Instead, they caught some of her hair, a thick bunch of strands that came to about midway down her back. The ones that came in contact with his claws were hacked off, but the ends sizzled with unused poison, eating its way up the length of her hair.

Growling as she threw herself out of his reach, she grabbed her hair and bunch it just below the neck, taking a swipe at it with her own claws and releasing what was below from her head. She glared at him as she released her hair, brandishing her own claws at her sides. "That was low," she stated, her tone low and dangerously quiet.

He only shrugged. "I always did like you better with short hair, _koi._" He practically spit the pet name.

She threw herself forward, determined to take him down a peg once and for all. She dodged another swipe of his poisonous claws before twisting mid-air, sticking out her tongue and running all five of her own on her right hand along it from pinky to thumb. Surging her _youki_, she swiped at him, shouting "Claws of Corruption!" as the glowing energy strike left each claw individually, dragging strings of her acidic poison along with them. Two hit the roof, two veered off to the left and hit the next building over, the last one hitting the male square in the chest before he could do anything more than widen his eyes at her, surprised she would use such an attack against him.

He flew backward, colliding with the roof and skidding to a stop just before reaching the opposite edge from where the female _hanyou_ stood.

Her nostrils flared in surprise as she landing gracefully on both feet, pausing to watch his still form skid to a stop just feet from her. She hadn't anticipated him being actually caught off guard by her attack, so she had assumed he would defend himself appropriately.

Now she couldn't be sure if he would get back up.

Slowly, she stalked to where he still lay on the cement, unsure if he was even moving.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her slight frame, holding her still and clutching her against a hard chest, jaws clamping down on her right shoulder as sharp fangs sunk into the delicate skin, puncturing right through her armor. The hiss that poured from her lips was a mixture of anger and surprise, and her mind whirled with possibilities as to who had managed to get the drop on her – and _how_.

Her nose scrunched and her eyes widened as her shoulder went cold, and the same biting ice flooded through her as fear permeated every sense. "You-" she managed to choke out as the teeth pulled away and the arms released her, allowing her to stumble forward, her left hand darting upward quickly to put pressure on the bleeding wound at her shoulder. It was already puffing up and felt hot beneath her fingers. Before her eyes, her fallen ex-lover rose from where he'd lain moments ago on the roof, his expression more or less blank as he took in her shocked and now somewhat disheveled appearance. She reached for him, her feet barely remembering to respond before she fell over herself, but he moved away, behind her to join her still unknown attacker.

Spinning slowly – or was it quickly? She couldn't be sure anymore, with the way her body had become consumed with the cold that was now beginning to force piercing, icy tendrils upward now, into her brain, which was now fogging up and trying to make sense of the sight she found when she finished turning.

All her breath left her body as she stared at the identical figures standing before her, wondering if she was so far gone under the influence of_whatever_ that she was seeing double.

"H-Haku-?" she murmured, her eyes darting between the two of them, unsure which was her ex-lover and which was...

"My twin," the one on the left intoned quietly, barely able to bring himself to look at her, avoiding eye contact. That was him, she knew, her Haku, the _kumohanyou_ who had secretly courted her for half a century before her nerves won out, forcing her to break it off with him before her father discovered them. She was so sure he would never have approved, and she still maintained that same childish desire to win his approval no matter the cost... Yet another trait she'd gained from her sweet, naïve, _ningen_ mother.

They had been so alike in some ways; that was what drew them together.

But she had known all along there were secrets she wasn't privy to, things that were different, things that he kept from her.

Things that had driven them apart.

_This must have been one of those things,_ she realized with a start, her eyes widening as the concept of her ex-lover having a secret twin she'd known nothing about sinking home.

The figure on the right, identical to Haku minus the evil smirk her wore, bowed at the waist, his eyes never leaving her face. "Heru, _my Lady_," he practically purred; even his voice was identical to Haku's. "At your- Well." His red eyes narrowed. "At your _dis_service, I guess."

It was only then that she realized her feet had continued to move herself backward, and she was dangerously close to the edge of the roof opposite from where she'd first landed. Haku's gaze finally darted up to meet hers as his twin disappeared from his side, and it was almost comical, the way his eyes widened almost in slow motion at the realization of what was happening. Her senses had been slowed, dulled, to the point where her reactions were severely limited. She barely realized it when Heru appeared directly in front of her, and with that same smirk gracing his familiar features, gave her a purposeful push that sent her flying over the edge faster than she could stop her own momentum.

As she fell backward, sinking through the air with a weightless feeling that wasn't her own, her thoughts were a jumble, and she thought she heard her name cried out in Haku's voice – but that couldn't be right? Haku hated her now. Of course he did.

Her hand still clutching her shoulder, her eyes slid closed as her breathing slowed.

"_Iyo_!"

Everything went black when she slammed into the asphalt below.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Morning came much faster than Kagome anticipated. She'd barely been able to get to sleep, even after calming down from... From _whatever_ it was that had happened upstairs, in Yash's bedroom. Four hours, she'd tossed and turned, dozing on and off, trying to figure out what it was that had happened. Why did he grab her like that? And kiss her the way he did? Did he-

Lurching out of bed, she shook her head, taking a deep breath through her nose. _He doesn't remember being Inuyasha,_ she reasoned with herself for the thousandth time since returning to her own bedroom. _He doesn't remember being in love with Kikyo, or us..._

She paused in front of her dresser, taking a long look at herself in the mirror. _I never told him how I felt. And I never found out how _he _felt in return._

And now it seemed she may never find out...

However, she couldn't dwell on Inuyasha- Um, _Yash_ and the mysteries his sealed head held. Not today. There were other mysteries that needed unraveling – one being Sesshomaru's secret he refused to reveal about her occupation.

Another was waiting to be confronted in the kitchen, if the sound of the coffee machine whirring to life was any indication...

Stepping out her new bedroom dressed in blue jeans, a black baby tee, and the same black flats from the day before, Kagome looked down the hall at Eri's closed door, wondering if her friend was already up and about. Walking down the corridor the short way to the kitchen, the girl couldn't help taking a deep breath and basking in the smell of bacon and eggs that grew stronger as she approached the door to the right.

Standing there in the doorway, she paused, blinking a few times at the sight in front of her. There was Yash, standing in front of the stove cooking, barefoot and wearing a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt left untucked with the top button undone. Channing sat at the island counter in one of the barstools, fully dressed in violet scrubs and a practically gleaming pair of white sneakers. Sensing her arrival, Yash had turned, and both men were now giving Kagome twin looks of surprise.

For a moment, all she could do was stand there, lips slightly parted, and stare at Yash. His hair had yet to be braided, so it billowed around him, long and full and black, and right then he looked... _So much like Inuyasha..._ she couldn't help thinking, though obviously he more closely resembled her old friend on the night of the new moon, when he turned human. Her heart jumped into her throat before settling quickly in the pit of her stomach, and she took another step to come fully into the kitchen. Yash licked his lips right then, eyeing her warily... Nervously. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how to approach her... Not after what had happened between them the night before. Not after what he'd tried to say... And what she _had_ said.

He'd spent the entire night thinking it over. The pain on her stricken face, the hushed whisper of apology as she'd dashed out the door and disappeared before she could be forced to face whatever it was he wanted to say. _Does that... Does that mean she doesn't return my feelings?_ Yash had wondered over and over, and now, as they stood in the kitchen watching each other, it was frustrating to know that he wasn't any closer to knowing the truth.

_Kagome..._

"Good morning, Kagome," Channing piped up, and her head whipped to one side to look straight at him. She'd never admit it, but she was somewhat thankful for the intrusion. _That look in his eyes..._ she thought as she came forward, offering the doctor a small smile as she took a seat at the barstool two seats down from him. She didn't miss the snort Yash released, meaning he'd noticed the obvious way she kept her distance from the perv.

"Guess you two've already gone and gotten acquainted," the now-human grunted as he turned back to his cooking, scrambling the eggs thoroughly and flipping the bacon.

Kagome hadn't taken her eyes off Channing, even as she had reached over the counter to pour herself a cup of coffee. "I'm just trying to figure out how long he's known my real name," she stated as she took a sip.

Neither of the two seated at the bar missed the way Yash's shoulders tensed. He paused what he was doing again to shoot Channing a questioning glare over his shoulder. The kitchen was tense and silent for a minute, as Kagome smirked knowingly, watching Channing sweat under Yash's intense look. _Gotcha! Maybe this'll teach you to not be such a lecher..._

Taking a deep breath, Yash started to dish out the food. He seemed relatively calm at first, but then... "So... Those nights you said you were needed at the hospital... You were at the club, _weren't you_?!"

Channing raised his hands defensively, sitting back in his chair. "Y-Yash, come on, man! Think about it for a minute! If you were in my shoes-"

"And what shoes are those?! Pervy sneakers?" Yash huffed, too angry at his friend to notice the way Kagome was snickering quietly to one side. "I bet you spent your time there ogling _Kagome_!"

Kagome sipped on her coffee while Channing sputtered. "Oh? He didn't tell you what happened the _last_ time he was there?"

The doctor shot her an incredulous look, and Kagome just gave him a wide-eyed one back, as though she had no idea of the danger he was in. She just raised her brows at the way Yash was almost completely ignoring her now, his entire focus on Channing, except for the sideways glance he cast her. She knew from past experience - _Even though he's not aware of it!_ - that it was her cue to go on. "Oh, he just... came to the VIP room, where I mainly... Uhhhh... _Work._" She paused as she felt her face flame right then, but the boys were too distracted to notice. "Well, then he startled me and I fell." She finished quickly before her nerve got the better of her.

At the mention of what happened, Channing's expression lost all traces of anxiety and turned from Yash to look at her. Speaking of... "Oh, Kagome! How is your leg doing, anyway?"

_WHAP!_

Neither Kagome or Channing – or Yash, for that matter – had known what was going to happen, but the temperamental human let the spatula he'd still been holding snap through the air, nailing Channing right across his smug, foreign face before anyone knew what had happened. Pieces of egg flew through the air as the spatula stilled, and there was a quickly reddening, greasy print on Channing's left cheek, where the spatula had struck him.

Yash may not have realized what his body was doing when it lashed out in anger, but he sure didn't regret it. _How _dare _that asshole!_ he thought, still glaring at the other man as the other two humans stared at him in shock.

Suddenly, all those involved were distracted by the sound of loud, rambunctious laughter just inside the kitchen door. There stood Eri, howling and cackling at the entire display, her laughter only growing in intensity when Kagome's face turned red, Channing rubbed his injured cheek, and Yash blinked, seeming to come back to himself a bit more as he brought the offending spatula close to his face and stared at it in confusion.

"Uh..." was all the _hanyou_-turned-human could say before he also burst into uncontrollable laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. After another minute, Kagome and Channing joined in, grateful for Eri's interruption.

As the other girl took her place at the bar between Kagome and Channing, the four of them settled down and Yash started to make her a plate. "Y'know," he said, pausing to give Channing a look, "we're still gonna have a talk later."

Channing visibly gulped.

Laughing again, Eri just turned and slapped him hard on the back. "Don't worry about it, doc. It's just a _talk._"

"That's what _you_ think," Channing shot back petulantly. At that, Kagome just laughed as they all dug in, Yash included as he took his seat on the other side of Channing.

"He's right though," Yash told the girls. "_Bouzu_'s lived with me long enough now to know what happens when I wanna _talk._"

Kagome stilled at that, her mouth hanging open in surprise as she turned to stare at Yash. The other three blinked at her change in demeanor, offering her questioning looks and waiting for her to elaborate. "You- You called him-?" She couldn't seem to form the words.

Yash and Channing shared a look while Eri gave Kagome a confused one herself. "Did I miss something?" the other girl asked, feeling much like she had.

"That's just something I call him sometimes," Yash replied to Kagome, his eyes watching her in concern as he shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "Nothing to it, really." Channing, however, seemed somewhat subdued, and it was strange for Kagome to realize that, for the first time she could remember, someone else was easier for her to read than her old _hanyou_-sometimes-human friend. But Channing's face was just too easy to figure out right then.

Her eyes narrowed. "I was right... Wasn't I?" Her focus was on Yash. She knew that, despite his lack of memory, he still knew much more than he'd let on so far. With the way he was sitting quietly at the end of the bar, Kagome knew she'd hit the mark, and that he knew _exactly_ what she was right about.

Beside her, Eri huffed. "I still don't get it."

Yash sighed. "Channing knows, but Eri..." He rubbed his face in irritation. "Kagome, _you_ tell her."

She glared at him. "But _you're_ the one who seems to know everything!"

He glared right back. "But _I_ already took care of the _lech_!"

The two of them sat there, glaring at each other across Channing, who was sitting akwardly between them and finally sighed.

"Eri, you and I are both reincarnations."

Kagome and Yash both blinked at Channing, obviously surprised by his unexpected admission, and the sight would have been rather comical had it not been for the serious subject they were discussing. Eri herself, though her eyes widened just a bit, didn't seem all that shocked to learn this news. She just nodded, taking a bite out of her toast and chewing thoughtfully for a few moments before swallowing.

"You mean from the monk and demon slayer you used to know?" Her question was directed at Kagome, whose mouth fell open at her calm question.

"Uh- Well- I- Uh..." The younger girl was starting to turn red. "Yeah. I mean, I've had my suspicions for the last couple of weeks, but I wasn't sure, and I didn't feel okay voicing my opinion until I was _sure_... Or, at least, _more_ sure than I was at the time..." _Shut up, Kagome_, she couldn't help thinking, cringing inwardly at the awkwardness she was allowing to permeate the group. She just sighed quietly and returned to eating.

Beside her, her best friend just chuckled good-naturedly, wolfing down the remainder of her food and patting Kagome on the back. "It's all good! Can't say I'm surprised though. I always thought she sounded like a kickass chick." Eri grinned. "Now come on! We need to get to work!"

At that, the rest of them hurriedly finished their own breakfast before heading back to their own spaces to finish getting ready. Before long, all four housemates were on their way to the club, fully dressed and ready for whatever surprises might be thrown their way.

Or so they thought...

Yash and Kagome pulled up first, Eri and Channing right behind them in the other sedan. The building was the same one the two girls remembered working at for the last couple years, but the outside had been completely redone. It was still bricked up, but the flashing neon sign of a woman raising and lowering her leg had been replaced with an equally large plain white sign with the words _Club Taisho_ written in elegant black _kanji_.

The miko shifted suddenly in her seat to regard Yash with probably her millionth look of surprise that morning alone. "_Sesshomaru_ bought a_strip club_?"

Her reaction had Yash howling with laughter as he threw the car in park, too distracted to turn off the engine until his amusement managed to subside. He had honestly had the same thought when Sesshomaru first told him of his plan, but when the older brother had elaborated, Yash hadn't been able to deny that it was, in fact, a good idea.

"Yes," he said as they both got out of the car to join Eri and Channing, who were already halfway across the parking lot, "but he refuses to_operate_ a strip club."

At that, Kagome gave him a confused look, quirking her head sharply to one side, but Yash just shrugged and stepped up to open the door for her. Her eyes narrowed at him as she breezed by, promising that he wasn't off the hook just yet.

Though she got the answer to her unspoken question once she was safely inside. The entire interior of the club had been gutted, it looked like, and remodeled in a way that caused Kagome to freeze where she was, unable to focus on the gushing cries Eri was emitting as she dashed across the main room to where she saw some of their coworkers, Airi and Aimi included, standing by the bar. The bar, however, was literally the_only_ part that seemed to have been retained from the old club; it was still in the same place, but the wood had obviously been sanded down and re-stained to a much darker shade, almost black. The walls had been painted a deep crimson color, contrasting only slightly with the darker bar and the dark hardwood flooring, giving the entire place a womb-like feel. The stage had been completely torn down, opening the room up that much more, and the entire main section was transformed into a legitimate dining room, with mahogany tables and chairs arranged in a refined order, and the security booth at the front had been changed into a host stand, stained just as darkly as the bar and floor.

"The dressing rooms and other backstage areas have been refitted into a fully functional kitchen and employee area, complete with a small hallway of sorts for the waitstaff to use to refill drinks, place orders on the computer, and generally keep out of the way in the dining room so there's no one tripping over another," Yash stated quietly as he came forward to stand beside her, hands tucked into his jeans pockets as he took in her shocked state. Slowly, she turned to look at him.

"So..." she started to ask. "I'm a waitress now?"

He chuckled. "If you want to be. Sesshomaru intends for this to be a _private_ club, a restaurant geared toward the service of _youkai_, _hanyou_, and those with whom they conduct business, whether professional or personal. You'll make the same you would before in tips, so the pay should roughly stay the same. It might even go up, if I know most of those who would take advantage of such a club the way I _think_ I do." He was smirking by the time he finished.

Kagome was dumbfounded. All she could do was openly stare at him a moment before the squealing coming up quickly from behind her alerted her to the imminent danger that was approaching. Before she could react much more than simply turning around, Eri was upon her, leaping skillfully into the air before abruptly landing _on top_ of her best friend, throwing both girls haphazardly to the hard floor. Kagome yelped in surprise, and then mild pain, while Eri just laughed as she landed on the Kagome-shaped cushion she'd commandeered. "Isn't this _great_, Kags?" she screeched, still overwhelmed with laughter.

"Human girl, you will cease your wailing this instant."

The tone was deep and serious and reprimanding, and Eri stilled immediately. From where she lay on the floor, Kagome only chuckled lightly as her friend moved off of her, bowing her head in embarrassment at the display she'd put on in front of their intimidating new boss as said intimidating new boss glided forward into the dining room like the _taiyoukai_ he now looked like. As Yash helped Kagome gingerly to her feet, she was able to see that Sesshomaru had removed his concealment once inside the building, and now his _youki_ was rolling off him in waves. Several of the girls standing at the bar had obviously been intimidated, moving _behind_ the bar from where they'd all previously been positioned in front of or beside it – all except the twins. While Aimi still seemed wary, she wasn't nearly intimidated to the same level as their practically cowering coworkers, and Airi seemed to _glow_ with adoration, her eyes wide and bright as she clasped her hands in front of her and openly stared at the tall, commanding _youkai_ that now stood before them.

Before anyone could say anything, Airi had broken away from her sister and rushed across the dining room, the older twin hot on her heels. Aimi slowed first, but Airi went right up to Sesshomaru, still gazing up at him in complete bewitchment, grinning broadly as she whispered, "You're_beautiful_." Yash choked back laughter as Kagome and Eri stared in shock, while Aimi facepalmed at her twin's antics.

Sesshomaru, to his credit, didn't flinch away from the young human woman as she approached him at what those with lesser senses would call breakneck speed, simply observing as she stood before him in such an unconsciously submissive stance, only quirking a sleek silver eyebrow at her murmured words. He was much too interested in her face... The delicate curve of her jaw, the slight upturn at the end of her small nose, the eyes that seemed simultaneously too big for her face and just the right size.

Blinking, his gaze darted to the other girl who had followed her over, and he quirked his head to one side in a very dog-like fashion at the realization that they were identical, down to the very smallest of their features.

Outwardly, Sesshomaru seemed to be doing nothing more than contemplating, but Yash's eyes had narrowed as he observed what was happening. He may not have been able to remember the way things used to be between himself and his half-brother, but he'd spent plenty of time with Sesshomaru and Iyo in the last couple years since his awakening, and he felt like he'd gotten to understand some of the _taiyoukai_'s more subtle quirks pretty well.

_He noticed something about her..._ Yash mused, failing to notice the way Kagome was also observing the scene in front of them with a very knowing smile creeping its way onto her face. They watched as Aimi stepped forward and took Airi by the arm, pulling her gently away from the godlike creature who was now their boss. Yash watched the two girls, his own head quirking to the side in a similar way to Sesshomaru's as he noted something off about the way the two girls interacted with each other. He would have to sit back and observe more, before he could know for sure if his inkling was correct or not. _Though by that look on Sesshomaru's face, I might just be right for once,_ Yash thought, unable to ignore the fact that Sesshomaru's eyes remained trained on the two girls as they stepped away, heading back to the bar.

Finally sparing his human half-brother a quick, dangerous glance that conveyed the message of death if he decided to tease him about what had just happened, Sesshomaru was relieved when Yash simply smiled and shook his head. Nodding somewhat gratefully, the _taiyoukai_ cleared his throat and approached the bar, still looking mostly the part of the Tokyo businessman, though his _youkai_ markings and coloring made him look, in fact, more regal.

"You have been chosen from those employed by the previous owners to continue on with the new direction my company has chosen for this space," he began, addressing the human women cluttering the bar area. They all practically held their breath, causing a collective silence with palpable awe and interest hanging in the air. "As you are aware, my people have already been through to remodel the building, and during the process, they conducted interviews with the staff. Those of you remaining here were found to be the most trustworthy and loyal. We have paperwork for each of you to sign, including a non-disclosure agreement. Most of you did not know before this day that _youkai_ and other supernatural beings were less legend and more reality, but know that we do not expect word to leave this place of our true natures – and we do not take kindly to threats or betrayal of _any_ sort."

Kagome blinked in surprise at his thinly veiled threat. _More of a promise, really,_ she thought, immediately impressed with the way her handful of coworkers still remaining seemed to be holding their ground, ready to roll with the punches, as the saying went. They all seemed surprised to find out that the demons of legend were actually real beings that walked among them on the sidewalk or in the supermarket, going about day to day lives with humans being none the wiser, but she sensed no hostility from any of them. That was probably what Sesshomaru had meant, she realized; he must have had some of his people come through and speak with everyone working at the club at one point or another, gauging in secret who would be most likely to run to the masses with the news of _youkai_ being real, whether from fear of the unknown or the strive to make it rich with their newfound knowledge... And who wouldn't.

Apparently these were the only ones from the entire place that could be trusted with such knowledge.

_Well what did you expect?_ she berated herself as Sesshomaru continued to speak with the others, Yash staying by her side as Channing stepped forward and laid out paper after paper across the surface of the bar. _It was a strip club, Kagome! Baka..._

She was roused from her internal dialogue by an elbow softly nudging her arm. Jerking her head to the right, she looked at Yash somewhat sheepishly as she took the paperwork Channing was holding out to her, embarrassed that she hadn't even realized the other man had come up to them. Yash was just smiling at her in that gentle way of his that reminded her both of the way he was when she knew him before... and of the way he had become. As much as the differences between Inuyasha and Yash were like night and day, it also struck her at random moments, when she caught him watching her from the corner of his eye, when he blushed when he knew she'd caught him... When he impatiently mumbled "Keh," and turned his back toward her, leaving her to smirk in peace as she continued signing paperwork for her new employers.

When they exchanged silent promises to talk later that night, after their housemates had gone to bed, so similar to the looks he'd given her to catch some alone time in a nearby meadow once their travel companions were none the wiser – but with unknown emotions awash in golden irises, silver hair fluttering in the wind.

The memory of his _hanyou_ face forced a slightly nauseating sense, akin to homesickness, to flood through her. She tried not to let her hurt and anguish show on her face, but she knew from Yash's own expression morphing to one of confusion, his violet eyes darting across her face, trying to figure out the cause for the sudden plummet in her mood. Biting her bottom lip, Kagome just gave him a small smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. She knew she hadn't managed to placate him when his brow furrowed in concern.

Thankfully he didn't say a word about it during their car ride home. Sesshomaru had told all the employees that the new club wouldn't be reopening for another couple of while the remodel finished and his contacts got the word out. Channing and Eri had agreed to go get dinner at some American-esque restaurant the Aussie knew of, and their friends had declined the offer to join them, immediately heading back to the house. Somehow the ride wasn't tense.

Once they were inside the house however...

Yash slammed the door shut behind Kagome, fixing her with an agitated stare. "Spill," he demanded.

Immediately, her face scrunched in anger, her hands darting straight to her hips as she geared up for what was obviously about to be one of their infamous arguments. "I don't have to tell you anything, Mister 'I'm gonna completely ignore Kagome for three years just because I don't remember who I am'!"

His glare became incredulous. "Did you even _listen_ as you said that?"

She huffed. "That isn't important!"

Her statement had been ridiculous, but it had effectively taken the wind out of Yash's sails. He sighed, running a shaking hand through his midnight bangs and watching her. "Does it really bother you that much that I didn't come to you immediately after I woke up?"

Without even realizing it, Kagome's foot slammed against the hardwood as she balled her fists at her sides. "Yes!" she cried out angrily. It seemed like everything she'd been trying to keep bottled up since the awkward reunion Sesshomaru, Kouga, and Iyo had facilitated the previous day was about to come out with more of a bang than she'd intended. "I mean... How _could_ you?!"

He was starting to get frustrated himself. "How could I what?"

"How could you do that to me?"

"_How could I do what to you?_"

Suddenly her vision was blurring, and Kagome tried desperately to hold onto what little control she still had as she blinked back the tears as much as she could. It was always a losing battle though, and she knew it was a done deal when the warm wetness spilled onto her cheeks, first her right and then her left. "How could you _ignore_ me?" she demanded as the tears made their way to her lips, and she licked some of the saltiness away before continuing. "How could you ignore _Shippo_? We needed you, Yash- _Inuyasha_- Whatever you want me to call you! We needed you! I _needed_ you!"

The _hanyou_-turned-human had gone painfully still and silent throughout her tirade, and all he could do for several moments was simply stare at her as she vented, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for water. All manner of thoughts were whirring through his head, and for literally the first time in three years, Yash had to legitimately wonder if Kouga's idea not to include Kagome in the goings-on of their little organization had been a good one.

Before he realized what was happening, he'd stepped forward, gripping her tightly by the arms. Her anger slipped into surprise, though the damned tears didn't stop. Coming closer to her, Yash thought with a pang that he could actually _smell_ her tears, all salty and sad. Holding her so tightly, so close to him, that she couldn't move away, Yash looked Kagome directly in her eyes. "You really think I _chose_ to stay away from you?" His voice cracked a bit on that last word - _you_ - and he knew his resolve to give them time was slowly but very surely crumbling. The thought of her angry with him... Of hating him...

Of _leaving_ him...

It was almost too much.

_But she just got back..._ he couldn't help thinking, and his jaw tightened as something down deep – the same thing from the day before that had tried to rise up at the sight of her upset – was currently trying to claw its way out again. Yash didn't know, in the face of those tears, if he could push it back down this time.

The girl was surprised by the hurt that floated so readily to the surface in Yash's eyes; it had been a long time since she'd seen this face, but she couldn't remember him being so forthcoming with his emotions before. _Except on his human nights..._ she couldn't help thinking, and brown eyes widened just a fraction in abrupt realization. He had been human for three whole years now... _This is like one big long human night for him... That must be why he's been acting so different from how he used to be._ That was probably only one reason, and she knew it, but this was such a huge one that it should have slapped her in the face immediately... But it had somehow taken her over a day to figure it out.

Her chest tightened when it suddenly occurred to her just how hard the past years must have been for him... He had awoken, not knowing who or where he was, not understanding their time or why he was there or why he'd done the things he'd supposedly once done...

"I..." His whisper brought her back to the present, and she watched him hesitantly as he went on. "I don't know you anymore, Kagome. But," he said before she could feel any kind of pain at his negative words. "But I want to. Hell, I apparently let some old hag _purify_ me – which Sesshomaru and Kouga have both made clear is _not_ a pleasant experience – and put me under some wonky spell so that I could make it to this time – so that I could make it to see _you_ again." He met her eyes. "So I could be with you."

She gasped. "You- You really think-"

"Keh," he muttered, rolling her eyes, and she broke off into sheepish laughter at his very Inuyasha-like reaction. "What makes you think I'd do all that for someone I only wanted _as a friend_?"

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out as she gradually realized that he was right.

For a few crucial moments, the duo simply stood there, staring at each other. Finally, Kagome smiled shyly. "You... You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

Yash shrugged before smiling back, though not as shyly. "I've been watching you since I woke up and got filled in on some of the blanks. I haven't _completely_ avoided you. And," he sighed, "though I didn't feel any immediate feelings for you – no whoosh or pang or rushing back of any memories – I... still feel like there's something about you. It wasn't instant, no, but it's there. Like I'm kind of... _drawn_ to you." His smile grew just a little broader.

So did hers. Tentatively, she leaned forward, her hands reaching up and drawing him into a small, sweet kiss that ended just a little too soon for Yash's taste, and when she tried to pull away, he held her in place, his lips resuming their previous place against hers.

After another moment, the mood of the kiss changed drastically. Suddenly there was no more sweetness, no more shyness. Yash groaned against her mouth, licking out against her bottom lip as he tugged her closer until she fell against him. Kagome gasped when her feet stumbled and she landed against his chest, her hands going immediately from his face to his shoulders to help steady herself, and Yash took full advantage, slipping his tongue into her now open mouth for further exploration. This caused _Kagome_ to groan, low in her throat, as their tongues twined and danced, and something similar to a growl vibrated within Yash's chest. He pushed her back against the inside of the front door, fumbling around her slim form with the deadbolt to make _damn_ sure they wouldn't be disturbed. His blunt human teeth scraped against her lip as he broke the kiss, but he was far from ready to release her.

His heavy lidded eyes met hers for a moment as he tried to steady his breathing. "We need- to go slow..." he whispered against her mouth.

Closing her own eyes, Kagome only nodded a little before reclaiming his mouth with her own, his words barely sinking in. But she knew, somewhere deep down, that what he said was true; he wasn't the same Inuyasha - _Yash_ - she knew before, and he didn't know very much about her anymore either. It would take time, and it was time they needed.

But as they fumbled their way down the corridor and up the stairs to Yash's bedroom, his hands gliding up her taut tummy and their mouths never leaving the other's, it felt like they had all the time in the world.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))

As awareness began to return to Iyo, her vision continued to swim in complete darkness for a time. Finally, as the heaviness wore off from her limbs, her eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes to a dimly lit room she didn't recognize. Her sense of smell, however, knew exactly where she was; the place reeked of death and disinfectant. It was a sterile room, and the cold of the atmosphere hit her just as she tried to groggily sit up. Blinking rapidly, the _hanyou_ realized she had been lying on a freezing, metal table, covered with nothing more than a white sheet.

Gasping in surprise and embarrassment, she tugged the sheet up and gathered it around her naked form as her senses whipped back to her in a heady rush. Her pup's ears twitched atop her head, moving her hair, and she suddenly felt grimy, though her skin was clean and smooth. Someone had cleaned her and undressed her, then left her here – in a _morgue._

Iyo shuddered violently. She had to get scarce, but her armor was nowhere in sight. Thankfully, her wounds were completely healed, and she thanked the Buddha silently for small favors. _I can't believe it actually worked..._ she mused, turning and sliding off the table with grimace. Hopping stealthily to her feet, Iyo padded across the tile floor of the small morgue to check the couple of metal lockers in the corner. Scrunching her nose in disgust at the pungent scents that filled the air, she ripped the door of the left hand locker open as quietly as she could manage, wondering faintly if anyone was nearby.

The locker was vacant other than a yellow plastic bag on one of the shelves; taking it, Iyo tore it open, pleasantly surprised to find her armor crumpled up and shoved inside, along with her concealment ring. Her lips quirked upward into a quick smile, but it was gone in a flash when her left ear flicked, picking up footsteps outside the door. Down the hall, it sounded like. She'd need to be careful on her way out.

Slipping quickly into her armor and tucking her concealment ring back in his normal hidden pocket in her sleeve, Iyo slipped out the door, her boots not making any more sound against the tile than her bare feet did.

She found a window just down the well lit hallway, sliding the glass pane up silently and shimmying through. Landing on both feet in a dark alley between two buildings – obviously the hospital she'd just left and another, unknown building – Iyo dashed up the wall quickly, bringing herself to the roof undetected. Once she reached the rooftop, she stretched a little and took a deep breath through her nose. Unable to sense the enemy nearby watching from the shadows, the _hanyou_ took off into the night, leaping from rooftop to rooftop just as the sun was rising.


End file.
